Bade: Married with Children
by Shelecki
Summary: The Hollywood Arts gang have graduated and now have families of their own! This story mostly focuses on Beck and Jade's family, but Cat, Robbie, Tori, André, and Trina's families play a big role in it too! Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious. Please review!
1. The Beginning: Bade

"I can't do it, Beck. I can't," Jade cries. At 16-years-old, she is currently in a hospital, delivering her first child. Beck gently kisses his girlfriend on the cheek. He smiles at her. "Listen to me, Jade. You can do this. You're almost there. Come on," he tells Jade. Jade takes a few deep breaths and pushes again. She screams in pain, with tears running down her cheeks. She looks at Beck. "Beck?" she says. Beck looks into Jade's crystal blue eyes. "Yes, babe?" he replies. "I hate you right now," Jade says. Beck chuckles and kisses her on the forehead. Jade squeezes Beck's hand and pushes again. She stops for a few seconds, before pushing again. "The baby's crowning!" the doctor announces. Jade pushes again and after a couple of pushes, the doctor announces that the baby's head is out. "You just need to deliver the shoulders. After you do that, the rest of the baby should slide right out," the doctor says. Jade takes a moment to breathe, before pushing and delivering one of the baby's shoulders. She bears down and gives on final push with all of her might. The baby's other should emerges, and the rest of its body quickly slips out.

Beck and Jade expect to hear a cry, but their baby was silent. Jade begins to panic. She looks at Beck, with tears filling her eyes. "The baby's not crying. Why isn't it crying? It should be crying," she cries frantically. The doctors rub the newborn baby gently and finally the room is filled with a high pitched wail. Jade sighs in relief and relaxes.

The doctor turns around holding the baby in his arms. She walks towards Beck and Jade with a big smile on her face. "Beck and Jade, congratulations! You have a beautiful baby boy!" she says happily. She carefully place the baby in Jade's outstretched arms. Happy tears run down Jade face. She and Beck look deeply into each other's eyes. "We have a baby boy," she whispers breathlessly. Neither of them knew the baby's gender because they wanted to be surprised. Beck has an enormous smile on his face. "You did it, Jade! I'm so proud of you!" he says. He kisses Jade on the lips and leans closer to see his new son. The baby looks just like Beck. He has Beck's tanned skin, dark and luscious hair, and warm brown eyes. "Can you tell everyone that they can come in now?" Jade asks. Beck nods. "Sure thing." He exits the room and heads to the waiting room.

Tori, André, Cat, and Robbie had been waiting in the waiting room. They all came to the hospital to support Beck and Jade. Tori and André are playing on their phones, while Cat chatters about babies to Robbie. When they see Beck, everyone stands. "Guys, come with me," Beck says. He's still grinning proudly. He takes the group to Jade's hospital room. He opens the door, and the group files into the room. Jade smiles at everyone. Cat rushes to her best friend's bedside. She squeals excitedly. "Oh my god! He is sooooooooo cute!" she loudly exclaims, before Beck politely asks her to lower her voice. The other also come closer to take a look at the tiny baby. They congratulate the couple in their new bundle of joy.

Beck, do you want to hold him?" Jade asks. Beck nods excitedly. "Of course!" Jade gingerly places the baby into her boyfriend's arms. Beck cradles his son gently and smiles. "Hey there, Buddy. I'm your daddy," he says softly. "What are you guys gonna name him?" André asks. Beck and Jade exchange glances. "Nolan was the name that we chose for a boy, so his name is Nolan. He hadn't decide on any middle names yet," Jade responds. She lists possible middle names, and the groups discuss them. They test the names out loud to see how they sound with Beck and Jade's last names. Beck handed Nolan back go Jade, so he could write down the names that sounded nice or good suggestions. Eventually, they decided to dedicate Nolan's middle name to Beck. Once the baby's name is decided, Jade looks down at Nolan, smiling. "Welcome to the world, Nolan Beck Oliver-West!" she whispers.

**_Nolan Beck Oliver-West_**

**_7 lbs. 8 oz._**

**_19.6 inches._**

**_Born at 2:38 pm on March 9th._**

* * *

"God dammit, Beck! How could I let myself get into this situation _AGAIN!?_" Jade screams. She grips her boyfriend's hand tightly. "It's not just your fault. We both played a part in this," Beck says. Jade winces in pain. She feels like a complete idiot. Only a year ago, she was in the same situation, giving birth to her first child, Nolan. For the last 12 hours, Jade has been in labor, waiting until she's dilated to 10 centimetres. Luckily, she asked for an epidural this time.

The doctor that delivered Nolan, Dr. Montgomery, enters the room. She walks to Jade and asks how she's doing. "Hello, Jade! How are you holding up?" she says. Jade groans. "Please tell that I'm at 10 centimetres! I swear if I'm still only at nine, I'm gonna take a scalpel and cut the damn kid out myself!" Jade growls through gritted teeth. Dr. Montgomery smiles at the irritated teenager. "Well, let's see if you're at 10 centimetres before we do anything with a a scalpel," she says with a small chuckle. Jade exhales loudly. Dr. Montgomery puts on a pair of gloves and examines Jade. "Good news, Jade! You can push now," she says. Jade smiles. "Finally!" she exclaims. Beck helps his girlfriend put her feet into the stirrups and holds her hand. "On the count of three, you going to push. Okay?" Dr. Montgomery instructs. Jade nods. "Ready...1...2...3! Push!" Jade squeezes Beck's hand and pushes. She rests than pushes again.

Unlike Nolan's delivery, this one is shorter and a lot less strenuous. After about 15 minutes of pushing, a shrill cry is heard. Dr. Montgomery whisks the crying baby boy away and cleans him up. Jade tries to lean forward and see her son. A nurse helps Jade clean herself up, then Dr. Montgomery brings the still crying baby back to Beck and Jade. She places the infant in Jade's arms. Jade smiles at her baby. The baby stops crying as soon as he's placed in his mother's arms. "Congratulations! You have another beautiful baby boy," Dr. Montgomery says happily. She says goodbye and leaves the room, so Beck and Jade can have some privacy.

"He's perfect," Beck says. Jade smiles and looks at Beck. "Do you want to hold him?" she asks. Beck nods and she hands the baby to his father. He gently rocks the newborn and talks softly to him. Jade watches Beck holding their son. The baby is a perfect mixture of Beck and Jade. He has Beck's brown eyes and Jade's nose. He has thick, fluffy dark hair like Beck and he has Jade's eyebrows. His complexion is more like his father's, but his skin isn't quite as dark as Beck's. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. "Can we come in?" a familiar, chipper voice asks. "Come in!" Beck says. Cat and the rest of the gang enter the room.

Everyone crowds around Beck and Jade. Tori, who's holding 1-year-old Nolan, goes to Jade. "Look, Nolan! It's mommy," she says. Nolan smiles and points to Jade. "Mama!" he exclaims happily. Tori sets him down on the bed next to Jade. "Hey, Buddy," Jade says softly. Nolan giggles and points to Beck. "Be be!" he says. Jade smiles and nods. "That's your little brother," she tells him. Beck bends down, so Nolan can see the baby. "Look, Nolan. It's your new baby brother," he says. Nolan smiles. "Be be bubba!" he says. "So, what's his name?" Cat asks excitedly. "Well, we decided to name him Dylan Parker Oliver-West," Jade replies. "Dywan!" Nolan exclaims. Everyone smiles. "I wuv be be bubba Dywan!" Nolan says. He sweetly kisses his little brother on the cheek.

**_Dylan Parker Oliver-West_**

**_8 lbs._**

**_20 inches._**

**_Born at 4:47 pm on May 25th._**

* * *

Beck and Jade are in Brooklyn, New York. They were asked to make an appearance at a movie premiere. Ever since Dylan's birth, their acting careers have really taken off. Beck is part of a multimillion dollar movie franchise, while Jade has successfully released her debut album. Nolan and Dylan are at Beck's parents' house, spending the night, since Beck and Jade are in New York.

Last night, the couple attended the movie premiere. They spent the day going sightseeing. Now, they are both exhausted and sleeping in their hotel room. At around 10 o'clock pm, Jade awakes to the feeling of liquid trickling down her leg. She immediately starts to panic, knowing that her water has just broken. "Beck!" she exclaims, shaking her sleeping husband. Beck rolls over and faces Jade. "What, babe?" he mumbles, still half asleep. "Beck, get up! My water broke!" Jade whimpers, on the verge of tears. Beck is suddenly wide awake. He jumps out of bed and rushes to Jade's side. "It's too early, Beck!" Jade cries, holding her stomach. Beck kisses Jade's forehead. "You're going to be okay. The baby is going to be fine. Let's just get to a hospital," he says. He holds his hand out and Jade tries to stand, but a searing pain in her abdomen inhibits her ability to move. She tries again, but the pain is too intense. "I can't move," she winces. Beck quickly calls the valet, then scoops Jade up gently in his arms and rushes out the door.

Beck places Jade in the front seat and gets into the driver's seat. He speeds to the nearest hospital. He quickly parks and carries Jade into the emergency room. "Hi, my name is Beck Oliver! My wife is 36 weeks pregnant. Her water broke like 10 minutes ago," he says breathlessly. The nurse stares at him for a few moments and begins fanning herself. "Y-Y-You're Beck Oliver! A-A-And that's Jade West!" she exclaims, before promptly fainting. Beck and Jade stare at her for a second. "Is there someone _else_ that can help us!?" Beck shouts. A team of doctors rush over to Beck and Jade with a gurney. Beck gently places Jade on the gurney and the doctors bring her to a room.

Jade is put in a hospital bed and hooked up to different machines and IVs. "Jade, my name is Dr. Linden. We've given you some medicine that should slow your labor down...if we're lucky, maybe it will even stop. We're going to give your baby a shot of steroids, to help develop her lungs. We're going to keep you here overnight for observation. If you need anything, don't be afraid to get on of the nurses," Dr. Linden says. Jade nods slowly. "Thank you, doctor," Beck says, shaking the doctor's hand. Dr. Linden politely smiles and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

Beck and Jade stay silent for a few minutes, before Jade breaks the silence. "Beck, I'm so sorry," she whispers. Beck holds Jade's hand and kisses it. "Why are you sorry?" he asks. Jade sighs sadly. "I shouldn't have gone to the premiere last night. I should've just stayed home with the boys," she says. Beck kisses her on the cheek. "This is not your fault. Jade, Dr. Montgomery said that it was okay for you to go," he tells his wife. Jade looks away from Beck, tears stinging her eyes. "I knew that something wasn't right, but I went anyway. I'm so stupid. Beck, I'm sorry. I put out baby in danger," she says, breaking down and crying. Beck gently put his hands on Jade's shoulders and looked at her. "Look at me," he says. Jade avoids his eye contact for a while, but eventually she looks into his deep brown eyes. Beck wearily smiles at his wife. "This is not your fault," he says. Jade breaks eye contact and looks away again. "I should've trusted my gut," she whispers to herself. More tears roll down her cheeks. Beck cups her face in his hands.

"Jadelyn August West, listen to me. This is not your fault. It isn't anyone's fault. Sometimes things just happen," he says. Jade cringes at the sound of her full name. "Beck, you know how much I hate when you say my full name," she says. Beck kisses her on the lips. "I only use when I'm being serious. And I'm serious, Jade. This is not your fault," he says. Jade stays silent. "Repeat after me. This is not my fault," Beck instructs. Jade doesn't say anything. "Jade..." Beck says sternly. Jade sighs and finally repeats Beck. "This is not my fault," she says in a barely audible whisper. Beck kisses Jade again and hugs her gently.

A small smile spreads across Jade's face. "By the way, _Beckett Ezra Oliver_, do not say my full name out loud, no matter how serious you are," she commands playfully. Beck smirks. "Sorry, _Jadelyn August West_," he says, with a chuckle. Jade crosses her arms, then a pillow of the hospital bed and hurls it at Beck's head. Beck manages to catch the pillow, before it hits him in the face. "Did you forget that I have cat-like reflexes? I'm like a tiger-ninja, _Jadelyn August West,_" he jokes. Jade hurls another pillow at him. This time, the pillow hit Beck in the upper chest. She giggles. "I'm sorry. What was that, _Beckett Ezra Oliver?_ You were talking about your cat-like reflexes...I believe that you refered to yourself as a tiger-ninja?" she says. Beck picks the pillow that just hit him and places it back on the bed. "Babe, you know that I don't get bothered when you say my full name," he says. Jade rolls her eyes. "Whatever," she says. She and Beck talk for a while, before she falls asleep.

Beck watches Jade sleep, until she wakes up when one of her monitors starts beeping wildly. Jade looks at Beck, panicked. "Beck, something's happening. What's happening!?" she screams. Beck shoots out of his chair and runs to Jade's bedside. Jade grips his hand tightly, holding back tears. "I'll get the doctor!" Beck exclaims, bounding towards the door. As he is about to open the door, Dr. Linden and a few other nurses enter the room. "Oh thank god! You're here!" Beck exclaims. Dr. Linden and the nurses rush to Jade and look at the beeping monitor. "Jade, it looks like your baby is in distress. She needs to come out now," Dr. Linden tells Jade. Jade shakes her head, her eyes wide with fear. "No! I can't have her now! It's too early! Please! You have to do something!" Jade cries. Dr. Linden gives Jade a sympathetic look and makes direct eye contact. "Listen to me, Jade. We've done everything that we can do. Your baby needs to be delivered right now, okay?" she says kindly, but firmly. Jade meekly nods. "Prep for a premature delivery!" Dr. Linden orders. The nurses gather the needed medical supplies and one nurse drapes a sheet over Jade that covers her from the waist down.

Beck holds Jade's hand and whispers words of encouragement into her ears. Jade looks at him worriedly. "Our little girl is going to be perfect, Jade. Don't worry," Beck says reassuringly. He kisses Jade on the lips. "Okay, Jade! I'm going to need you to push now!" Dr. Linden says. Jade leans forward slightly and pushes. She yelps in pain, before pushing again.

Suddenly, Dr. Linden becomes concerned and she tells Jade to stop pushing. "What going on!? What's happening!?" Jade cries frantically. "It looks like your baby is in the footling breech position-" Dr Linden begins, before being cut of by Beck. "What does that mean!?" Beck questions, interrupting the doctor. Used to anxious mothers and family members interrupting her, Dr. Linden remains poised and professional. "The baby is positioned feet first, instead of head first. Normally babies come out head first. This is a very dangerous and risky situation and I need to perform an ECV," she says. Jade leans forward to look at the doctor. "What the fuck is that!?" she screams. "ECV stands for external cephalic version. I'm going to apply pressure to your abdomen and try to manually rotate your baby into the head-down position. Time is of the essence. I need to start now, okay?" Dr. Linden says. Jade nods and lays back.

Dr. Linden places a hand on Jade's abdomen and applies pressure, while she uses the other hand to turn the baby. Never before had Jade felt this much pain. She lets out a bloodcurdling scream as tears stream down her face. She has a death grip on Beck's hand. Dr. Linden gently tries to turn the baby more, eliciting a more screams and tears from Jade. After about a minute of pure torture and hell, the baby is finally in the proper position and the delivery can continue.

"Okay, Jade! The baby has been successfully turned. Now push!" Dr. Linden orders. Jade pushes with all her might, screaming like there's no tomorrow. After a few pushes, a quiet but strong cry fills the room. Jade slumps back, tired and relieved. The nurses take the baby away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As Jade watches her baby being taken away, she panics again. "Where are they taking her!?" she cries. "They're taking her to NICU. They're going to clean her up and do some tests to make sure that there isn't anything wrong with her," Dr. Linden responds as she cleans up. She throws the soiled drapes into the waste bin and removes her gloves. Jade's chest rises and falls rapidly, her vision starts to blur, and the room starts to spin. The color begins draining from her face, and her porcelain skin almost starts to look translucent. Beck notice this and begins to worry. "Dr. Linden! There's something wrong with Jade!" Beck exclaims anxiously. Dr. Linden rushes back and looks at Jade. "Jade? Jade, how are you feeling?" she asks. Jade tries to focus on Dr. Linden, but the spinning room and her blurred vision makes it nearly impossible. "I feel kindaaaaaaaaa-" she starts to slur. Before she can finish, her eyes roll back, and her head rolls to the side as she passes out. A gush of blood runs down her legs and makes a puddle on the floor. "She's hemorrhaging!" Dr. Linden exclaims. She grabs an oxygen mask and slips it over Jade's nose and mouth. "My patient is having a postpartum hemorrhage! Get her to the OR! Stat!" she yells out the door. A group of nurses wheel Jade's bed to the surgery wing. They don't let Beck past a certain point, so he stops and watches them take away his wife, praying that she'll be okay.

"I need three bags of O neg. blood!" a surgeon orders. A scrub nurse hooks Jade up to a bag of O negative blood. An anesthesiologist puts Jade under anesthesia, before the surgeon gets to work. The surgeon, Dr. Handle makes an incision on Jade's abdomen. He finds the source of the bleeding and quickly stops it. As he finishes up, he notices something. "There's another baby in here!" he shouts. A scrub nurse grabs a receiving blanket and Dr. Handle takes the baby out. He gently places the baby in the nurse's receiving blanket. The nurse quickly gives the baby oxygen and begins to examine it. "It's a girl!" she announces. She tries to stimulate the baby girl, so she'll cry. After many unsuccessful attempts, the nurse finally gets the baby to cry. Dr. Handle finishes up Jade's surgery. Jade is taking to a hospital room to recover and the baby girl is taken to the NICU.

A few hours later, Jade opens her eyes and sees Beck sitting at her bedside with tears in his eyes. She weekly turns her head towards him. "Beck?" she whispers quietly. Beck looks up and sees that Jade has finally woken up. "Jade! You're okay," he says, relieved. He sniffles and wipes his eyes, before gently kissing Jade's temple. Jade blinks groggily and looks around the room. "What...?" she begins. Beck holds up a cup of water with a straw. He guides the straw into Jade's mouth and she takes a small sip of water. "We have a beautiful baby girl. She's tiny, but she's doing well. They even moved her out of the NICU. She in the regular newborn nursery now," Beck says softly. Jade nods slowly and weakly. "I remember that...but everything after that is kind of a blur," she whispers. "You started to hemorrhage and they had to take you to surgery," Beck softly explains. Jade blinks groggily again. She gently runs her fingers over the closed incision on her abdomen. "What time is it?" she asks quietly. Beck looks at his watch. "Almost 3 am," he answers. Before either of them can say anything else, Dr. Linden enters the room. She smiles.

"Hello there, Jade. How are you feeling?" she asks. Jade shrugs weakly. "I've had better days," she replies softly. Dr. Linden smiles again. "I'm going to examine you, just to make sure that everything is okay," she says. Jade nods and lets the doctor examine her. Dr. Linden asks Jade to rate her pain level on a scale of 1 to 10. One means that she feels no pain, and ten means that she is in unbearable pain. Jade tells Dr. Linden that her pain level is at about a seven or eight. Dr. Linden finishes up, and she throws away her gloves. While she washes her hands at the sink, she glances back at Beck and Jade. "Your daughters are beautiful," she compliments. Beck and Jade both look at one another, confused. _"Daughters?"_ Beck questions. He lifts one eyebrow in confusion. Jade furrows her eye brows. Dr. Linden turns the sink off and begins drying her hands with a paper towel. After throwing the paper towel away, she turns towards the confused couple. "One of the nurses was supposed to come in a tell you," she says, "You had twins, two beautiful little girls." Beck and Jade's jaws drop.

"This has got to be some mistake. I wasn't pregnant with twins," Jade says. Dr. Linden raises an eyebrow. "During surgery, Dr. Handle delivered a second baby," she tells the couple. Beck makes a confused face and tilts his head to the side. "How did my doctor not know that I was having twins?" Jade asks, utterly shocked and confused. Dr. Linden shrugs. "It's rare, but if twins are aligned just right and their heartbeats are in sync, it can trick doctors into thinking that there's only one baby," she says. Jade nods in shock. "How is she? ...The other baby," Beck asks. Dr. Linden smiles reassuringly. "She's surprisingly healthy for being born prematurely. She is slightly smaller and less developed than her sister, but she's doing great. Your little girls are fighters," she says. Beck and Jade both sigh in relief that their second baby is okay. Dr. Linden tells the couple more about the twins and Jade's recovery process, before having the twins brought into the room. Once the twins' incubators are wheeled in, Dr. Linden explains the differences between the two babies, and she tells the couple about their health statuses. "If everything goes well and the twins stay healthy, you two can take them home in about a week," she says. When she's finished speaking, she leaves Beck and Jade alone with their new babies.

Beck holds the first twin, Baby A, and Jade holds the second twin, Baby B. "Twins," Jade whispers. "We had twins." She looks at the tiny infant in her arms. The tiny baby girl tightly grips onto Jade's finger. Joyous tears roll down Jade's face. "They're so tiny," she whispers to Beck. Beck smiles. "They're perfect," he says, gently rocking Baby A. The two stay silent, mesmerized by the tiny babies.

The twins are half-identical, meaning they inherited the same exact genes from Jade, but they inherited different genes from Beck. The twins look just like Jade, especially Baby B. Baby A has Jade's nose and mouth. She has a round face like Jade, however her face is slightly more oval shaped than her mother's. She has Beck's brown eyes and Jade's natural, lighter brown hair. Baby B is the spitting image of Jade. She and her mother have the same eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, and face shape. The only physical characteristic that she inherited from Beck is his dark hair. Her hair color is somewhere between Jade's natural brown hair color and Beck's darker hair color. Baby B's darker hair color makes her look even more like her mother, since Jade keeps her hair dyed black.

"What are we gonna name them," Jade asks. "Well, I'll name Baby A and you'll name Baby B," Beck answers. Satisfied with Beck's answer, Jade stares at Baby B, thinking of the perfect name. After a few more minutes of silence, Beck and Jade both know what they're naming the twins. Beck shares Baby A's name first. "I decided to name her Brooklyn Jade. We'd called her Brooke for short. I choose Brooklyn because that's where she was born, and I choose Jade after her amazing mother," he says. Jade smiles and blushes. She give Beck a kiss on the lips. "I love it! The name that I choose is Gabrielle Elizabeth. We can call her Gabbi. I choose Gabrielle because...well I just love the name, and Elizabeth is dedicated to your mother," she says. Beck smiles. "That's a wonderful name," he tells Jade. The two stare at their sleeping twin daughters. "Hello little Brooke and Gabbi," Jade softly coos.

**_Brooklyn Jade Oliver-West_**

**_5 lbs. 5 oz._**

**_17.5 inches._**

**_Born at 11:57 pm on December 31st._**

**_Gabrielle Elizabeth Oliver-West_**

**_3 lbs. 1 oz._**

**_14.9 inches._**

**_Born at 12:07 am on January 1st._**


	2. The Beginning: Cabbie

"Okay, Babies A and B are out. Last but not least, here is Baby C," Dr. Montgomery announces. She is in the operating room, performing a C-section on Cat. She holds the tiny baby up for Cat to see. Cat and her husband, Robbie, decided to have their triplets born via C-section. The nurses take the triplets to the NICU, while Dr. Montgomery closes Cat's surgical incisions. Once Dr. Montgomery is finishes, she has Cat brought to a recovery room.

A few hours later, the triplets are brought into Cat's hospital room. Dr. Montgomery tells Cat and Robbie about each of the triplets and their unique characteristics. There are two girls and one boy. Dr. Montgomery shows Cat and Robbie how to hold the tiny babies. "Although the triplets were born prematurely, they seem fairly healthy. However, we're going to keep monitoring them in the NICU for a while," she tells the couple, before leaving the room.

"Robbie! We're parents now!" Cat squeals excitedly. She is holding Baby A and Baby B. Robbie is holding Baby C. He smiles and looks at the baby in his arms. "They're so tiny and adorable!" Cat exclaims. Baby A is a boy and Baby B and Baby C are girls. "This is the best day of my life," Robbie says. He and Cat coo and speak in baby talk for next few hours.

**_Robert Alexander Valentine-Shapiro_**

**_3 lbs. 8 oz._**

**_16.4 inches._**

**_Born at 12:22 pm on November 22_****_nd_**

**_Abigail Caterina Valentine-Shapiro_**

**_3 lbs. 9 oz._**

**_16.2 inches._**

**_Born at 12:27 pm on November 22_****_nd_**

**_Addison Jade Valentine-Shapiro_**

**_3 lbs. 2 oz._**

**_16 inches._**

**_Born at 12:34 pm on November 22_****_nd_**

* * *

"I can't believe he's really gonna be ours!" Cat squeals. She, Robbie, Robbie Jr. (Alex), Abigail, and Addison are on their way to the adoption agency. The triplets are three years old now. Cat and Robbie are adopting Keegan, an 8-year-old boy.

Once they arrive at the agency, Cat and Robbie get the triplets out of their car seats and enter the building. They meet with the social worker that had been assigned to them. During their meeting, Cat and Robbie go through paperwork and sign documents. When they finally finish, Keegan is brought to them.

Since Keegan had already met Cat, Robbie, and the triplets on various occasions, he doesn't feel awkward around them. He loves Cat and Robbie and is excited to go home. Cat and Robbie sign a couple more papers, before they can take Keegan home.

After Cat, Robbie, the triplets, and Keegan get back to the house, everyone takes Keegan up to his new room. Cat explains where everything is and the household rules as they make their way upstairs. When Keegan enters his new bedroom, a huge smile spreads across his face. "Thank you so much mom and dad...is it okay if I call you guys that?" Keegan says, hugging Cat and Robbie. "Of course you can call us mom and dad! You're part of the family!" Cat says happily, hugging her son back. The whole family joins together in a giant group hug.

**_Keegan Rex Valentine-Shapiro_**

**_59 lbs._**

**_4 feet, 6 inches_**

**_Born on April 25_****_th_**

**_Adopted on February 12_****_th_**


	3. The Beginning: Tandré

After a short three hour labour, Tori begins pushing. She and André are now married, and they are having their first child, a baby boy.

"Good job, Tori! Keep going," Dr. Montgomery says. Tori pushes a few more times. She rests for a moment before pushing again. A loud wail fills the room. Dr. Montgomery wraps the baby in a blue blanket. "Would you like to cut the cord?" she asks André. André nods proudly and cuts his new son's umbilical cord. Dr. Montgomery puts a clamp on the baby's cord stump and hands him to Tori. "You have a beautiful baby boy, congratulations!" she says.

**_Caleb Antonio Harris-Vega_**

**_8 lbs. 2 oz._**

**_23 inches._**

**_Born at 6:16 pm on October 15th_**

* * *

"Come on, baby! Just one more push!" André coached. He held his pregnant wife, Tori's hand. Tori nods and gives one final push. Suddenly, the cries of an infant fill the room. Tori's OB/GYN, Dr. Montgomery, wraps the wailing infant in a soft pink blanket, then gently places her on her mother's chest. Happy tears flow down Tori's cheeks. The baby grasps Tori's finger and doesn't let go. "Awww," Tori coos. André leans down and kisses Tori on the lips.

The baby girl's skin color is a mix of Tori and André's skin tones. She has her mother's high cheek bones and her father's dark hair. The baby yawns, still gripping onto her mother's finger. "She's absolutely perfect," Tori whispers.

**_Eden Alexandra Harris-Vega_**

**_6 lbs. 9 oz._**

**_20 inches._**

**_Born at 1:45 pm on September 9th_**


	4. Meet the Characters

**Meet the Kids!**

* * *

**The Oliver-West Family**

**Beck: **25-years-old, married to Jade, father of Nolan, Dylan, Brooke, and Gabbi, very easy going, successful actor, part of a multimillion dollar movie franchise, and loves his family very much

**Jade: **24-years-old, married to Beck, mother od Nolan, Dylan, Brooke, and Gabbi, much nicer than she was in high school, also a successful actress, stars in her own television show called Silent Screams, and very protective over her family

**Nolan: **8-years-old, Beck and Jade's oldest child, born when Jade was 16-years-old, looks a lot like Beck, best friends with Keegan, occasionally talks back to people, very cheeky, like to pull pranks, sometimes annoys Jade for fun, plays the guitar and piano, and closest to Beck

**Dylan: **7-years-old, born when Jade was 17-years-old, looks like a perfect mix of Beck and Jade, can be stubborn at times, loves sports, and closest to Beck

**Brooklyn: **5-years-old, twin to Gabbi, nicknamed Brooke, sings, dances, gymnast, pageants, looks like Jade, has Beck's eyes, personality is a lot like Jade's, sassy, can be bossy at times, favorite colors are pink and red, and closest to Beck

**Gabrielle: **5-years-old, twin to Brooke, nicknamed Gabbi, sings, dances, gymnast, acts, rides horses, plays piano, looks exactly like Jade, slightly smaller than Brooke, personality like Beck's, quietest person in the family, very curious, loves to learn, very intelligent, likes to help people, and closest to Jade

* * *

**The Valentine-Shapiro Family**

**Robbie:** 25-years-old, married to Cat, father of Keegan, Robbie Jr., Abby, and Addie, works as an architect, still kind of nerdy, and very protective of his family

**Cat: **25-years-old, married to Robbie, mother of Keegan, Robbie Jr., Abby, and Addie, stay at home mom, very silly, helps out with the kids' pageants, very loving, and doesn't like to discipline her kids

**Keegan:** 8-years-old, Cat and Robbie's oldest child, adopted by Cat and Robbie when he was 6-years-old, blue eyes, bonde hair, freckled face, very charming and charismatic, likes to play pranks, very cheeky, and best friends with Nolan

**Robbie Jr:** 5-years-old, triplet to Abby and Addie, goes by his middle name, Alex, looks most like Robbie, very intuitive, likes to learn, best friends with Caleb, and closest to Robbie

**Abigail: **5-years-old, triplet to Alex and Addie, looks like Cat, sings, dances, tumbling, pageants, favorite colors are pink and green, and closest to Cat

**Addison:** 5-years-old, triplet to Abby and Alex, looks most like Cat, has her hair dyed red like her mother's, sings, dances, pageants, favorite color is blue, and closest to Cat

* * *

**The Harris-Vega Family:**

**André:** 26-years-old, married to Tori, father of Eden and Caleb, still very focused on his music, very successful singer and song writer, and very involved as a father

**Tori:** 26-years-old, married to André, mother of Eden and Caleb, also a successful singer and songwriter, and very loving

**Caleb:** 6-years-old, Tori and André's oldest child, looks more like Tori, really good singer but isn't interested in performing arts, best friends with Alex, and mama's boy

**Eden:** 5-years-old, Tori and André's youngest child, has her mother's cheekbones, got her singing talent from both parents, sings, dances, pageants, plays the piano, and daddy's girl

* * *

**The Lancaster-Vega Family**

**Owen:** 28-years-old, married to Trina, father of Isabelle, Maddie, and Mackenzie, wife died while giving birth to Maddie, met Trina at work

**Trina:** 27-years-old, married to Owen, mother to Mackenzie, stepmother to Isabelle and Maddie, was a professional dancer before becoming a fashion designer, helps the kids with their pageants

**Isabelle:** 11-years-old, oldest child, still upset about her mother's death, light brown hair, green eyes, likes to play tricks on people, can be very mean to people, somewhat resentful towards towards all of the kids escpecially Maddie and Mackenzie, dances, gymnast, and closest to Owen

**Maddie:** 8-years-old, middle child, blonde hair, green eyes, sometimes blames herself for her mother's death, dances, pageants, gymnast, has a crush on Keegan, and closest to Trina

**Mackenzie:** 5-years-old, youngest child, looks like Trina, sassy, dances, gymnast, pageants, doesn't understand why Isabelle hates her so much, and closest to Trina

* * *

**Other Characters**

**Ms. Jules: **The girls' dance teacher

**Kelsey: **7-years-old, on the girls' dance team, bullies the girls

**Nancy: **32-years-old, mother of Kelsey, body builder

**Callie: **5-years-old, used to be on the girls' dance team, left studio due to Kelsey's bullying

**Brenda:** 27-years-old, Beck's older sister, mother of Paisley and Paige, moves into the house next to Cat and Robbie's house

**Paige: **5-years-old, child of Brenda, identical twin to Paisley, niece of Beck and Jade, dances, good friends with all of the kids

**Paisley: **5-years-old, child of Brenda, identical twin to Paige, niece of Beck and Jade, dances, also good friends with all of the kids

**Caroline: **16-years-old, Jade's favorite cousin, looks just like Jade, sisterly relationship with Jade, dances, gymnast, actress, stars in a sitcom, rides horses, funny, clumsy

* * *

Beck and Jade live in a mansion at the end of a cul-de-sac. Cat and Robbie live in the mansion directly to the right of Beck and Jade's house. Tori and André's mansion is directly to the left of Beck and Jade's house. Trina and her family live in the mansion next to Tori and André's mansion. Beck and Jade have an inground pool and hot tub in their backyard.

All of the kids get along extremely well. Eden, Mackenzie, Abby, Addie, Brooke, Gabbi, Caleb, and Alex are all very close friends, and they homeschool together. Keegan, Nolan, Dylan, Paige, and Isabelle homeschool together.

Eden, Mackenzie, Abby, Addie, Brooke, and Gabbi are on a competitive dance team along with one other 7 year old girl named Kelsey. Their dance teacher is Ms. Jules.

The kids dance at Reflections Dance Studio, which is a very exclusive place. The studio is audition-only and only the best of the best get in. They have world famous instructors and offer top notch classes in ballet, hip hop, lyrical, acro, tumbling, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, and other various dance genres. All students are required to take at least one ballet class per week and since the kids are on one of the competition teams, they are also required to take tumbling, acro, and lyrical classes. The Reflections Dance Company (RDC) is a separate branch from the Reflections Dance Studio (RDS). The RDC is made up of competition teams. To be accepted into the RDC, people must audition. Gabbi, Brooke, Eden, Mackenzie, Abby, and Addie are on the mini elite competition team. The mini elite competition team is the most advanced competition team for children that are 5-7 years old. The junior competition teams are for children that are 8-12 years old, the teen competition teams are for dancers that are 13-15 years old, and the senior teams are for dancers that are at least 16 years old.


	5. The Competition: Part 1

**The Competition: Dance Class**

The kids prepare for their upcoming competition.

* * *

Gabbi is in her parents' room, folding laundry with Jade. Gabbi takes out one of Beck's t-shirts and folds it the way Jade showed her to. She then places it in a pile of Beck's shirts. Jade picks up a multicolored tribal printed dance top. "Is this the bra that you were looking for, Gabz?" she asks, holding the top up. Gabbi looks at the top and nods. "Yes! Thanks, mommy! And by the way, it's not a bra it's a _bra top,_" she says as Jade hands the top to her. Jade rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry. Here is your _bra top,_" she says sarcastically. She and Gabbi fold clothing for half an hour, before stopping.

"You and Brooke have class in an hour. It's time for you two to get dressed for dance," Jade tells Gabbi. Gabbi finishes folding her shirt and puts it down. "Why do we have to get ready so early?" she asks. "Because it's our turn for carpool, and I have to pick Mackenzie, Abby, Addie, and Eden," Jade answers. Gabbi furrows her eyebrows. "But they live next door," she says. Jade ruffles her daughter's hair. "I know, but we need to pick up your sister's new jazz shoes before class. Now, go get ready please," she says. Satisfied with her mother's answer, Gabbi obediently skips out of the room.

"Brooke, we need to get ready for dance class," Gabbi tells her sister. "KK!" Brooke responds. Gabbi closes her sister's bedroom door and goes to her own room. She puts on the tribal print dance top that Jade found while they were folding. Since the top has black accents, she decides to wear her black dance shorts. She grabs a light hoodie from her closet and slips a pair of loose athletic shorts on over her dance wear. Then, she goes back to Jade. "I'm ready, mommy!" she announces. Jade smiles. "Awesome!" she praises, high fiving her daughter. A short while later, Brooke comes down. She is wearing a flowery sundress over a pink bra top and neon blue dance shorts. "I'm ready too!" she says. She and Gabbi grab their matching, monogrammed dance bags and follow their mother out the door.

* * *

Jade, Gabbi, and Brooke stop at Cat and Robbie's house first. The Valentine-Shapiros live in the house that's directly to the right of Beck and Jade's house. Jade knocks on the door. A couple of seconds later, Keegan, Cat and Robbie's 8-year-old adoptive son answers the door. "Hey, Keegan. Are Abby and Addie ready?" Jade greets. "Yeah, they'll be here in a sec," Keegan says. As if on cue, Abby and Addie come running to the door. Abigail (Abby), Addison (Addie), and Robbie Jr. (Alex) are Cat and Robbie's 5-year-old triplets. They homeschool with Brooke and Gabbi. "Hi, Aunt Jadey!" Addie greets. Jade smiles and waves. Abby and Addie gather their dance bags and leave.

Jade, Gabbi, Brooke, Abby, and Addie walk to Tori and André's house next. The Harris-Vega household lives directly to the left of Beck and Jade. Abby rings the door bell, and everyone waits. Tori answers the door with her 5-year-old daughter, Eden, and Trina's 5-year-old daughter, Mackenzie. Tori and Jade greet each other, while the kids greet Eden and Mackenzie. Tori hands Eden and Mackenzie their dance bags, then Jade leaves with the kids.

The kids pile into Jade's minivan and buckle their seatbelts. Once everyone is situated with their seatbelts on, Jade pulls out of her driveway and heads to the dance shop. "I'm gonna stop and pick up Brooke's new jazz shoes before we go to dance, okay?" Jade announces. "Okay!" the kids say in unison. After a short five minute drive, Jade arrives at the dance store. She quickly runs in, gets the shoes, and returns to her car. She buckles her seatbelt again, before beginning the 45 minute drive to the dance studio.

* * *

"So, what are you guys doing for the competition this Saturday?" Jade asks. The kids start talking all at once. "Whoa! One at a time. Eden, you go first. Then, Abby, Mackenzie, Addie, Brooke, and Gabbi are next," Jade says. She put Gabbi last, because she is the most patient and mature child in the group. Eden tells Jade about her contemporary solo called the Secret Garden. Next, Abby tells Jade about her lyrical solo called Dreamer. Mackenzie talks about her hip hop solo called Funky Fresh, and Addie tells everyone about her jazz solo called Get Loud. Then Brooke talks about her tap solo called Forget You. Finally, Gabbi tells everyone about her lyrical solo called Castle on a Cloud. As Gabbi finishes talking about her solo, Jade pulls into the parking lot of the dance studio. She parks, then helps the kids out of the car.

After making sure that all the kids have what they need, Jade bring them into the studio and the group go to the kids' cubbies. Each child puts their bag in their cubby. They take off whatever they are wearing over their dance wear and put it in their cubbies as well. Then, they change into their dance shoes. After they put their dance shoes on, the kids head to their class. Jade sits in the mezzanine to watch the kids and do some work. For children that are five years old or younger, they must have parent or guardian stay at the studio with them.

* * *

"Hi, Ms. Jules!" Gabbi greets politely as she and her friends enter the dance studio. Ms. Jules, the kids' dance teacher looks up from her papers. "Hello, Gabrielle," she says. For the most part, Ms. Jules doesn't use nicknames. She addresses each child by their full first name. The other kids greet their teacher, before they go to the middle of the floor and warm up. After the remaining classmate enters the room and gets warmed up, Ms. Jules starts teaching. "Alright, ladies! Stand up! Let's start with the group dance," she says.

The kids grab their props and spread out into their starting formation for the dance. Gabbi is in the middle and towards the back, while Brooke, Kelsey, who's a member of the competition team, and Mackenzie are in a group to the left. Eden, Abby, and Addie are in a group to the left. Everyone except Gabbi is holding a giant fake lollipop. Gabbi is in the middle because she is the featured dancer in the routine. Gabbi's lollipop prop is on the ground behind her. Ms. Jules starts the music and watches her students. The children are doing an acro/tumbling routine to the song Lollipop by MIKA. Gabbi, who starts the dance, counts the beats in her head until she's supposed to begin. On cue, Gabbi takes a running start and does a round off back handspring back tuck. She then picks up her prop and holds it like the rest of the group. Once she has her prop, everyone begins dancing. They do fan kicks and turns with the lollipops. At one point, everyone puts their props down and does a side aerial. They end with in the same formation that they started in, except Gabbi is in the front, holding her lollipop over her head. Ms. Jules critiques the children, then has them run the routine a few more times.

Next, the kids work on the solos individually with Ms. Jules. Once the kids finish working on their solos, Ms. Jules puts a stack of boxes down in the middle of the room. The girls excitedly look at the boxes, knowing that their costumes are inside. All the girls love Costume Day. On Costume Day, they get to see and try on their new costumes. Parents have to come to costume day as well. Cat, Trina and Tori, who have just arrived at the dance studio, head straight to their kids. Jade makes her way down to her kids too. Ms. Jules invites the parents into the studio. The parents stand with their children as Ms. Jules goes over each student's assigned dance routines.

* * *

Some of the boxes are large, and some are small. Once Ms. Jules finishes talking, she opens the boxes. She and the parents begin taking out costumes and figuring out who's wearing what. Jade takes out a pair of spandex leggings and reads the label. "Mackenzie, I think I found your costume," she announces. Mackenzie and Trina go over to Jade and look at the leggings.

They take more of Mackenzie's costume pieces out of the box and look at them. When Trina takes out a top, she makes a disgusted face. "Ugh," Trina mutters. Jade looks over at Trina, and she also makes a disgusted face when she sees the top. She puts the costume that she was looking at down and turns to Trina. "That has got to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen," she says. Trina nods in agreement. The top is cropped, and it's covered in neon yellow feathers. It has a furry green shrug attached to it and it's supposed to be worn over a blue feathered shirt. The colors clash and the shirt looks like a big mess of rainbow vomit. The leggings are an obnoxiously bright shade of neon yellow. Trina and Jade look through the rest of the costume pieces. They find a gigantic multicolored belt with neon colored studs covering it, some neon pink fishnet arm warmers, a red feathered collar, and a red sequinned baseball cap. Mackenzie stares at her blindingly hideous costume. "That's my costume!?" she asks worriedly. Trina gives her daughter a fake smile, so she won't get worried. "Just try it on, and we'll see how it looks," she says in a sugary sweet voice. Mackenzie looks at her mother unsurely, but starts putting the costume on over her dance wear.

Jade continues to look for her daughters' costumes. "Mommy! Look! I found my solo costume!" Brooke announces proudly. She holds up a glittery metallic red costume. "It's soooo pretty! I love the sparkles!" she exclaims. Jade smiles and nods. "Very cute!" she says. Brooke then leaves to show her friends the costume.

Finally Jade finds a costume with Gabbi's name marked on it. She calls her daughter over to look at her costume. Gabbi skips over and looks at her costume. The dress is a greyish champagne color. The silky top is darker than the bottom, and it looks like it's been laced up in the front. The bottom part of the dress is tattered and jagged. Even though she doesn't have the most sparkly or luxurious looking costume, Gabbi still loves her costume because she thinks that it fits her song and dance well.

Addie, Abby, and Eden have their costumes on. Abby has a pale blue dress on that flows when she moves. Addie's costume is two pieced, and it's neon yellow with sparkles covering it. Eden has a pale green costume with a tutu. It has flowers on it. The three girls model their costumes for Ms. Jules and their parents.

Jade helps her daughters get their costumes on. Brooke's costume fits like a glove, and she prances around the studio, proudly showing it off. Gabbi's on the other hand, is way too big. She's practically swimming in it. Jade tries to adjust and tighten it, but even on the smallest adjustment, it's still too large.

Mackenzie crosses her arms and frowns as she looks in the mirror, wearing her solo costume. She and her mother both hate it. She walks over to her friends and shows them her costume. Cat gasps quietly and puts her hand over her mouth. Eden starts giggling when she sees her cousin's costume. However, Tori gives her a look, and her laughter ceases. Abby and Brooke are trying not to laugh, while Addie is too flabbergasted to say anything. Gabbi studies the costume carefully, trying to find something good about it, but even she is unable to find anything pretty about it. "It...umm...fits you really well," she tells Mackenzie. She pulls up on of the falling straps on her dress. Cat, Jade and Tori look at the costume too. "Well...it certainly is...unique," Tori comments. Trina rolls her eyes. "It's hideous!" she exclaims. Mackenzie looks at her mother. "_...Thanks, mom!" _she says sarcastically. "There is no way I'm letting you perform in that!" Trina says.

Kelsey walks by and stares at Mackenzie. "WOW! You look disgusting!" she exclaims loudly. She smugly walks away, drawing attention to her pretty costume.

Mackenzie begins to cry. Everyone tries to cheer her up. "Don't cry, Kenz! She just said that to feel better about herself," Cat comforts, hugging the crying child. Ms. Jules hears the crying and walks over. "Hey! What have I said about crying in the dance studio!?" she snaps as she comes over. She notices Mackenzie's costume, and she makes a disgusted face. "Ew! That costume is terrible! I knew I shouldn't have let the new assistant dance instructor design costumes!" she exclaims. She kneels down in front of Mackenzie. "We can go shopping for another costume together. How's that sound?" she says. Mackenzie sniffles and nods. "Okay," she says with a small smile. Ms. Jules pats her on the back, before asking everyone to gather in the middle of the room.

* * *

Ms. Jules studies each child's costumes and writes notes down about how the costume looks and fits. She notices that Gabbi's costume is way too big. "Wow...that is waaaay too big. I really need to take that lady off costume duty. She was totally off when she estimated what size to order," she says. Jade raises an eyebrow. "What did she think she was estimating for!? An elephant!?" she exclaims.

Once Ms. Jules finishes dealing with the girl's solo costumes, she brings out a big box containing the group dance costumes. She opens the box and hands each girl her costume. The costumes are rainbow colored, and they have poofy tutus. Ms. Jules has the girls try on their costumes. After the girls have changed, she makes them run the group dance.

Since everything looks good, Ms. Jules lets the girls change out of their costumes. She reminds the parents about the competition, then dismisses the class. Each student takes their costumes home.


	6. The Competition: Part 2

**The Competition: Vegas, Here We Come!**

For their dance competition, the girls have to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada.

* * *

"Wake up, kiddos!" Tori says, opening the curtains in her daughter, Eden's room. Abby, Addie, Mackenzie, Brooke, Gabbi, and their mothers had slept over the night before. "Get up, girls! We don't want to be late for Ms. Jules!" Jade says.

The girls have a dance competition in Las Vegas in two days and whenever they have competitions that are out of state or are far away, they sleepover at one person's house, so everyone is together. The drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is about 5-6 hours. Whenever they have out of state competitions, their dance teacher, Ms. Jules likes to take them to the competitions a day or two early.

When she hears her mother's voice, Gabbi sits up and yawns. "Hi, mommy! Hi Aunt, Tori! Hi, Aunt Cat! Hi, Aunt Trina!" she says cheerfully. The girls call Tori, Trina, Cat, and Jade their aunts. The mothers smile at the small girl and then walk around the room, waking up the other sleeping girls.

"Go away, mom," Eden mumbles, half asleep. Tori rubs her daughter's back to wake her up. She turns on the lights. Slowly, the other girls begin to wake up one by one. "What time is it?" Addie asks groggily. Tori glances at the clock on the wall. "Almost midnight," she replies. Everyone except Gabbi groans. Eden rolls back over, asleep. Abby puts her pillow over her head, and Brooke snuggles under her blanket. Mackenzie and Addie shield their eyes with their arms. Gabbi gets out of her sleeping bag and starts rolling it up.

"Come on, girls! Ms. Jules wants us at the dance studio by 1 am," Cat says. Everyone groans again. "Why so early!?" Mackenzie whines. Tori gently pats her niece on the back. "Because Ms. Jules likes to start traveling early in the morning, so we can avoid traffic," Trina says. Brooke and Abby sit up, rubbing their eyes. Addie and Eden eventually sit up too. "At least you guys don't have to get changed," Jade says. Ms. Jules lets the girls come in their pajamas because they usually sleep on the bus.

Gabbi packs her stuff up in her duffle bag and brings it to the front door. She places her duffle bag with the other girl's bags and costumes, then she returns to Eden's room. "Come on, guys! Wake up!" she says. After a few minutes, all of the girls are awake and packing their stuff up.

"This is not cool!" Abby complains. She stuffs her teddy bear into her backpack. Once all the girls are packed up, they bring their bags down to the front door, like Gabbi did. Then they head to the kitchen for breakfast.

* * *

After eating a delicious blueberry pancake and bacon breakfast, everyone congregates at the front door. Each parent goes over a checklist, making sure that they have everything. Once everyone is sure that they have everything they need, they begin to bring their belongings to the car. Since everyone can't fit in Tori's minivan, Jade is going to drive people to the dance studio in her minivan.

Tori and Trina are traveling together with Abby, Brooke, Mackenzie, and Eden. Cat and Jade are traveling with Gabbi. Only five out of the six kids fit in Tori's car, Gabbi travels with her mother and Cat. She's totally fine with this because she loves talking to "the grownups" by herself.

The kids traveling with Tori and Trina are asleep before they even leave the driveway. Gabbi talks with Jade and Cat for the first 10 minutes of the trip to the dance studio, before falling asleep. Jade and Cat converse quietly for the rest of the drive.

* * *

Tori pulls into the Reflections Dance Studio's driveway, followed by Jade. They park near the bus. The studio owns four coach buses for traveling to competitions. Today they'll be traveling in Bus #3.

Ms. Jules stands at the entrance to the bus, greeting the children as they file onto the bus. The parents carry some of their children's belongings onto the bus. They store the rest of their stuff in a compartment underneath the bus. Since the mini elite competition team is so small, each person has plenty of room to sit.

A few minutes later, Kelsey and her mother arrive. They load themselves and their things onto bus. Ms. Jules is the last person on the bus. When she sits down, she tells the bus driver where to go.

Abby and Brooke sit together. Both of them have already gone back to sleep, and their heads are resting against one another's. Eden and Mackenzie, who are also asleep again, sit together. They're both slumped over and leaning on each other. Addie sits with her mom, Cat, and Gabbi sits with Jade. Addie and Cat are cuddled together, under a blanket made out of sweatshirt material. Gabbi is on Jade's lap. Both she and her mother are asleep. Gabbi has her arms loosely wrapped around her mother, and Jade has her arm draped protectively over her daughter's tiny body. They are snuggled underneath a fleece University of Toronto blanket.

Beck attended the University of Toronto for his bachelor's and master's degrees, and Jade attended for her master degree. She went to Juilliard for her bachelor's degree. Originally, Jade disliked Canadian, because she thought that they were too nice. She eventually decided to go to the University of Toronto with Beck, so she, Nolan, and Dylan wouldn't be split up for another four years. She actually had a great time in Canada, but she refuses to admit it.

Tori uses The Slap, while Trina has her headphones on, dancing around in her seat.

The bus ride to Las Vegas is very peaceful and quiet. They arrive at the Venetian hotel at around 6:15 am.

* * *

The kids wake up after the bus parks. Everyone files off the bus and gathers their things. Ms. Jules checks everybody in and gives everyone their room keys.

Cat, Jade, and their children are sharing a room. Tori, Trina, and their kids are sharing a room with Kelsey and her mother. Their rooms are right next to each other. Ms. Jules has her own room, across the hall.

Since the kids had gone to bed at 8 pm and slept on the bus, they're energized and excited. Their mothers, on the other hand are still exhausted. Ms. Jules had rented out one of the hotel's ballrooms for the girls to practice in, so the girls change into their dance wear, then head to the ballroom with Ms. Jules.

Brooke is wearing a red bra top and black dance shorts with white polka dots on them. She has her hair fastened into a high ponytail with a white bow.

Gabbi is wearing her plaid bra top and yellow dance shorts. She has two French braided pigtails in her hair.

Abby is wearing a sequin orange top with lime green trim and green shorts. She has her hair up in a high ponytail, like Brooke.

Addie is wearing her matching zebra print bra top and dance shorts. She has her hair up in two high pigtails.

Eden is wearing an emerald green crop top with black trim and black shorts with a green waistband. Her hair is in a neat ballet bun.

Mackenzie is wearing her matching purple cheetah print bra top and dance shorts. Her hair is in a low side ponytail.

* * *

"Alright, ladies! Let's warm up first, then we'll run our numbers!" Ms. Jules announces. The girls stretch and warm up, grab their lollipop props, then get into their starting positions for the group number. Ms. Jules starts the music, and Gabbi begins the dance.

Gabbi does a round off back handspring back tuck and lands gracefully, before running to pick up her prop. The group sashays to the left, then they sashay to the right and leap forward. Everything is going well until Addie is hit in the face with Kelsey's prop. Ms. Jules stops the music and runs over to her.

"Addison! Are you okay?" Ms. Jules exclaims. Addie is holding her nose, but she takes her hand away to speak. "My nose hurts a little bit, but I think I'm okay," she says. Ms. Jules pats her on the back. "Do you want some ice?" she offers. Addie shakes her head. "No thank you." Ms. Jules then turns towards Kelsey. "What do you say, Kelsey?" she says sternly. Kelsey rolls her eyes. "Sooooorry," she says sarcastically. Addie forgives her, and they run the dance again.

Once Ms. Jules is satisfied with the dance, she has the girls run their solos.

Abby runs her lyrical solo, Dreamer.

Eden runs her contemporary solo, The Secret Garden.

Brooke runs her tap solo, Forget You.

Mackenzie runs her hip hop solo, Funky Fresh.

Addie runs her acro/tumbling solo, Get Loud.

Kelsey runs her lyrical solo, Thunder.

Then, last but not least, Gabbi runs her lyrical solo, Castle on a Cloud.

Ms. Jules critiques each girl's solo, before having them do their solos one more time.

Once everyone runs their solo a second time, Ms. Jules dismisses the kids and takes them back to their parents.

* * *

For dinner, the girls order room service. As they eat, they watch _The Little Mermaid_ in Cat, Jade, Brooke, Abby, Addie, and Gabbi's room. They're having another sleepover. Since she's always mean to them, nobody wants to invite Kelsey over, but Cat and Tori include her and her mother, so they doesn't feel left out. However, neither of them like Kelsey and her mother very much either.

Kelsey's mother drops her off and goes back to her room.

The girls sing along to the movie and dance around. They take selfies and pictures with each other to post on The Slap. All of the girls have PearPhones and Slap accounts. However, their parents monitor their accounts very carefully, and they can see everything that goes on their accounts. They can control who the girls follow, who follows the girls, and they approve the girl's posts before they get uploaded. All the girls follow each other, and they all follow their parents and friends. Kelsey forced all the girls to follow her, so out of fear, the girls all follow her too.

"Hey! Broke, get in my selfie!" Kelsey orders. Brooke takes a step back. "I don't want to. And it's Brooke, by the way," she says. Kelsey glares at her. "Selfie. Now," she commands through gritted teeth. Frightened, Brooke joins Kelsey's selfie. She tries to smile, but ends up looking rather terrified in the picture. Kelsey posts the picture on her Slap page. Brooke avoids Kelsey for the rest of the night.

* * *

At 9:30 pm, the kids settle down and get ready for bed. They brush their teeth and change into their pajamas.

Kelsey refuses to sleep on the floor with the kids, so Cat, Trina, Jade, and Tori are forced to share the one bed, while Kelsey sleeps in the other bed. Although the bed is bigger than the one they had to share in Yerba, it's still very cramped.

"Everyone shut up!" commands Kelsey as she slips her sleeping mask over her eyes. "I need my beauty sleep, so stay silent!"

The girls, huddle together in the corner that's the farthest away from Kelsey. They build a fort with half of their sleeping bags, then they share the rest of the sleeping bags.

"Guys, I don't really like Kelsey very much," Addie whispers. Mackenzie hugs her. "I don't either. She's so mean to us," she whispers. The other girls agree. "One time, she tripped me onstage during a duet. She said if I ever told on her, she'd tell people that I suck my thumb," Eden quietly tells her friends. Brooke looked at her friend, confused. "But you don't suck your thumb," she whispers. "I know! She said she'll make up lies about me if I tell," Eden whispers. "She told me that if we tell on her, she'll beat us up," Abby adds. The girls quietly talk about what Kelsey's done to them and the threats that she's made. They all fall into a restless sleep, scared that Kelsey will do something to them.


	7. The Competition: Part 3

**The Competition: The Bully**

Kelsey has a few tricks up her sleeve, and the girls' trip to Las Vegas turns out to be a lot less fun than they thought it would be.

* * *

At midnight, Kelsey wakes up and sneaks out of bed. She grabs a cup from the bathroom and fills it up with hot water, wraps a towel around it, then puts it down by the girl's fort. Kelsey picks up the steaming cup with hot water and places next to Gabbi's hand. She carefully uses her right hand to grab Gabbi's arm, without waking her up. She holds her phone in her left hand. She puts Gabbi's hand into the hot water. She rapidly snaps a few pictures, before tiptoeing away. Gabbi wakes up and yelps in pain. She yanks her hand out of the burning water.

The screaming wakes up the other girls and their parents.

Gabbi rushes to Jade, whimpering. The other girls follow her, and Jade flicks on the lights. "What's going on!?" she exclaims. Gabbi holds up her hand. Jade looks at her daughter's hand. It looks red and scalded. She gently brings Gabbi's hand closer to her face, so she can see it better. She and some of the other kids gasp. Tori gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom. "Gabz, what happened?" Jade asks. Kelsey stares Gabbi down with a smirk. "Yeah, _Gabz!_ What happened?" she says half mockingly and half threateningly. Gabz quickly glances at Kelsey, then back at her mother. "I...umm...must have...umm...accidentally sleepwalked and…umm… filled a cup with…umm… hot water...then...I...umm...stuck my hand in it," she lies. She hates lying to her mother, but Kelsey scares her way more than Jade. Jade raises an eyebrow and gives her daughter a suspicious look. "Uh huh," she says, not believing Gabbi's story.

Jade can tell right away that Gabbi is lying, because she didn't making eye contact and she kept saying "umm." She also knew that Gabbi didn't sleepwalk. Tori comes back with a cool, wet wash cloth and she gently wraps in around Gabbi's hand.

Kelsey fakes laughs. "Oh, Gabbi! You're so silly!" she says in an overly sweet voice.

Cat, Tori, and Trina put their kids back to sleep, while Jade tends to Gabbi's hand, before putting her back to sleep as well. "Sleep tight, kiddo," Jade says. She kisses Gabbi on the forehead and ruffles her hair. "Goodnight, mommy! Thank you for taking care me. I love you," Gabbi says. She rests her head on her pillow and closes her eyes.

* * *

Gabbi waits for everyone to fall asleep again. She listens carefully to everyone's breathing, making sure that they are indeed asleep. She silently crawls out of the fort and tiptoes to Jade. Luckily for her, Jade isn't sleeping in between anyone. Instead Jade is on the end of the bed.

"Mommy?" Gabbi whispers quietly. She gently taps Jade. Jade opens her eyes and sees her daughter standing by her head. "Is everything okay?" she asks quietly. Gabbi doesn't know how to answer Jade's question, and she stays quiet. Her hand stopped hurting, but she is still extremely scared of Kelsey, so she isn't sure if that qualifies as being "okay."

"May I please talk to you in the hall?" Gabbi whispers. Jade knows Gabbi is serious about something because normally her daughter rarely complains or wakes people up when they're asleep. "Sure," she mumbles. Jade quietly slips out of bed, grabs her room key, and goes into the hallway with Gabbi.

Gabbi looks at her hotel room's door. She holds Jade's hand and walks into the hallway. She stops by the elevators. "Why do we have to be all the way over here?" Jade asks. Gabbi looks around her, making sure that nobody is around. "So no one can hear me talking," she says quietly. Jade kneels down in front of her daughter, so her face is level with Gabbi's face. "What's going on, sweetheart?" she asks. Gabbi is about to tell Jade about Kelsey's threats, but she starts to imagine herself being beat up and gets scared.

"Umm! Never mind! It's...umm...not important anymore! Umm...let's go back to sleep!" Gabbi says quickly, looking away from her mother. She tries to run back to the room, but Jade holds onto her. Jade sits down on the floor, picks her daughter up, and places her on her lap. "Whoa! Slow down there, kiddo! I did not just get out of bed at 1 am and come with you to the elevators to have you change your mind and go back to sleep," she says. Gabbi looks at her feet. She struggles to free herself from her mother's arms. "Please! It's not important anymore! Umm...I'm sorry for...umm...waking you up! Can we please just go back to...umm...the room?" she pleads. Jade puts her hand on her hip, still holding onto her daughter with the other hand. "Gabbi..." she says sternly.

"I'm…umm…really...umm...tired now!" Gabbi announces. She rests her head on Jade's shoulder and pretends to snore. Jade sighs. "Gabbi, I know you're lying to me," she says. Gabbi picks her head up and looks at Jade, astonished. "What!? How!? Wait! Umm...I mean...I'm not lying..." she says. Jade raises an eyebrow. _"Oh really?"_ she questions. Gabbi nods quickly. "Umm...really!" she blurts out. She sighs. "Am I in trouble?" she whispers. "Not unless you tell me what's going on," Jade responds.

Gabbi sighs again. "But I can't tell you what's going on!" she whispers. "You could tell me a few minutes ago. What made you suddenly change your mind?" Jade says, trying to make eye contact. Gabbi avoids Jade's eyes. "I already said that I can't tell you!" she exclaims quietly.

Jade gives her daughter a stern look. "_Gabrielle Elizabeth Oliver-West,_ if you don't tell me right now, I'm taking you out of this dance competition!" she says. Gabbi looks at her mother, her eyes wide with fear. She doesn't want to let her friends down. She wonders if Jade would really pull her out of the competition. She knows that Jade only uses her and her siblings' full names if she's being extremely serious. Tears start to form in Gabbi's eyes. She buries her face in Jade's shoulder.

"I really really want to tell you, but I can't!" Gabbi cries. Jade hugs her daughter and gingerly strokes her hair. "Baby, you know you can tell me anything, right? I promise, I won't get mad," she tells her crying daughter. Gabbi sniffles and looks Jade in the eyes. "Do you _promise?_" she whispers. Jade nods. "I promise," she says sincerely. _"Pinky swear?"_ Gabbi asks, holding up her tiny pinkie. Jade smiles. "Pinky swear," she says, hooking her pinkie with Gabbi's. Gabbi wipes her eyes and begins talking.

"I think Kelsey is the one who burned my hand. She hit Addie in the face with her prop during rehearsal too. And Eden told us that Kelsey tripped her onstage during their duet, but she isn't allowed to tell anyone, because Kelsey threatened her. She said that Kelsey would tell lies about her if she told anyone. Then Abby said that Kelsey will beat us up if we ever tell on her. I don't want Kelsey to beat me up! I don't want her to beat anyone else up either!" Gabbi nervously tells Jade. Jade nods slowly and hugs her daughter. "Have you ever heard or seen Kelsey do those things?" she asks. Gabbi nods. "I saw her hit Addie, and it looked like she did it on purpose. And I've heard her threaten people before," she answers. She glances around to make sure that she and Jade are still alone. She leans closer to Jade. "When Ms. Jules told me about my solo for this competition, Kelsey came up to me after class when I was changing. She told me that she'd get back at me for stealing her solo," she whispers into her mother's ear. Jade's mouth drops open.

"I'm telling that girl's mother right now!" she exclaims. She takes Gabbi off of her lap and starts power walking back to their hotel rooms. Gabbi grabs onto her mother's hand. She tries to stop Jade, pulling her mother's arm towards her. "No! Mommy! Please don't tell anyone! Kelsey is gonna hurt me, and everyone will think I'm a tattletale!" she desperately pleads.

Jade stops. She knows what it's like to be called names. When she was pregnant with Nolan and Dylan, she endured endless months of slut shaming and name calling. She stops walking and looks her daughter in the eyes.

Jade signs. "Fine. I won't say anything _yet,_ but if that girl does or says anything bad to you or any other child, I'm going to speak up. Deal?" she says. Gabbi nods. "Deal!"

The two return back to their hotel room.

* * *

Jade quietly opens the door. She and Gabbi are surprised to see everyone awake again. Addie is crying, and the front of her pajamas are soaking wet. Kelsey is laughing and pointing at her.

"Ha ha! You peed your pants!" Kelsey chants loudly. "No, I didn't!" Addie exclaims. Kelsey smirks. "Then how come your pants are wet!?" she questions. Her laughter ceases, and she gives Addie a threatening look. She points to the girls and punches her palm as a warning. Addie and the other girls tense up with fear. Cat takes Addie into the bathroom to get changed.

The other girls are really frightened by Kelsey's warning, and they quickly retreat back to their fort. Gabbi runs to her friends and hugs them. "What happened?" she asks. Mackenzie explains the situation and fills Gabbi in. Addie returns to the fort, wearing a new set of pajamas. "I didn't pee in my pants! I promise!" she says. Gabbi hugs her. "We know. If you really did pee, it would be smelly," Abby says.

The girls huddle together, staying as close together as possible. They all hold onto each other, trying to forget about Kelsey.

The rest of the night goes by without any major disruptions, but none of the girls except Kelsey were well rested. Many hours pass before the girls fall asleep.

* * *

Tori, Cat, Jade, and Trina walked over to the fort to wake their kids up. They saw that each of the girls was holding at least one other person's hand and they were curled up and huddled together. "Good morning, girls," Cat says cheerfully. The girls all jolt awake, and they look around for Kelsey, but they relax when they realize that it's just their mothers.

Each girl comes out of the fort. When everyone is out of the fort, the girls quickly pair up. Abby and Brooke are a pair, Gabbi and Addie are a pair, and Eden and Mackenzie are a pair. The girls stick by each other's sides.

While they were awake the night before, the girls came up with plans on how to deal with Kelsey. They decided to go with Abby's plan of using the Buddy System.

Trina orders room service for breakfast. The room service waiter puts the table between the two beds in the room. Kelsey sits on the bed she slept in, all by herself. The other girls stay together on the bed that their mothers slept in.

The girls pick at their food and barely eat anything. They're too busy watching Kelsey and making sure she isn't going to do anything to have much of an appetite.

After breakfast, Kelsey's mother picks her up and takes her back to their room.

"Good riddance!" Gabbi whispers as she shuts the door behind Kelsey. Her friends look at her with puzzled expressions. "Good riddance?" Brooke questions. "What's that supposed to mean!?" Addie asks. Gabbi shrugs. "Well, good means something that's not bad. And _rid_dance is probably like getting _rid_ of something. I don't know. I was watching a movie, and these two people had a fight. Then, when one of the people left the room, the other yelled 'Good riddance' at them. I thought it sounded cool," she explains.

Since Kelsey is gone, the girl's appetites return. They sit together and munch on the remainder of their breakfasts.

* * *

Once the girls finish eating, Mackenzie and Eden get worried. "Oh no! Eden and me have to go back to our hotel room. Kelsey's in there!" Mackenzie panics. Brooke hugs her friend. "Don't worry! You guys can borrow some of my dance wear!" Abby offers. "And mine!" Addie says. "Me too!" Brooke says. "Me three!" Gabbi says. Since all the girls are roughly the same size, they share dance wear all the time.

Abby, Addie, Brooke, and Gabbi take their dance wear out of their bags and pile it onto one of the beds.

"I have an idea!" Gabbi announces. "What?" Brooke asks. "Let's pick out dance wear for each other!" Gabbi says. The girls nod and agree to the idea. "Okay...Kenzie and Eden will choose for each other, Brooke and Abby will choose for each other, And me and Addie will choose for each other. How's that sound?" Gabbi says. The girls begin picking out dance wear for each other. When everyone finishes picking out dance wear, they present their outfits.

For Mackenzie, Eden chooses a leopard print bra top and matching shorts.

For Eden, Mackenzie chooses a bra top with a flowery pattern and a pair of white dance shorts.

For Brooke, Abby chooses a white bra top with butterflies on it and hot pink trim around it. She chooses a pair of pink dance shorts too.

For Abby, Brooke chooses the same butterfly top, but instead of pink trim, her top has green trim. She also chooses a green pair of shorts to go along with the top.

For Gabbi, Addie chooses a purple bra top with pink braided straps and a pair of and black shorts with a pink and purple waistband.

For Addie, Gabbi chooses a blue and white tie dyed sports bra and white shorts.

The girls get dressed, then they go to the bathroom to do their hair and brush their teeth.

"Come on, Eden and Mackenzie! We have to go back to our room and get dressed," Trina says, once she finishes talking with Cat, Tori, and Jade. The girls come out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for dance. "You're already dressed!" Tori exclaims. The girls smile and explain how they're sharing their dance wear. "Well, we still need to get your shoes from our room," Trina says. The girls frown. "Darn! I forgot about our dance shoes!" Eden mutters under her breath.

The moms get ready, while the girls go get Eden and Mackenzie's shoes. Tori had given them her room key, so they can stop by the room and pick them up. Eden slides the key into the door, then pulls it out. A green light flashes, and the girls hear the door unlock. The girls help Eden open the heavy door. Eden sprints into the room and grabs the dance shoes, without being noticed by Kelsey or her mother. She hands Mackenzie her shoes, and the girls go back to their parents.

As the girls and their mothers head down to the ballroom to practice their routines, they run into someone they know.

"Callie!" the girls exclaim, running towards a girl and her mother.

The girl looks up and smiles. She runs towards the girls. "Guys!" she exclaims happily. The girls hug each other.

Callie, who is 5 ½ -years-old, used to dance and compete at with the girls, but she switched studios several months ago. The girls had lost contact and haven't seen Callie in months. "I've missed you guys so much!" Callie exclaims. She and the girls excitedly chatter for a bit, while their mothers exchange contact information. After they finish exchanging info, the girls say goodbye and continue on their ways.

* * *

The girls meet Ms. Jules in the ballroom to practice their dances. "Ms. Jules! You'll never guess who we saw!" Abby exclaims. Ms. Jules chuckles. "Who did you see?" she asks. "Callie!" the girls answer at the same time. Ms. Jules thinks about her former student and smiles fondly. She always liked Callie, and she was very sad to see her leave the studio. "How's she doing?" she asks.

"Good!" Eden replies.

"She and her studio are gonna compete against us in the competition tomorrow!" Mackenzie says excitedly.

"I hope she does well!" Gabbi says.

"Yeah! She's a really good dancer!" Abby chimes in.

Ms. Jules smiles again. "Well, you girls are good dancers too!" she says.

Kelsey scoffs and flips her straw-colored blonde hair. "You guys are so stupid!" she exclaims.

The girls and Ms. Jules turn around and face Kelsey. "You dumb-dumbs aren't supposed to root for the enemies! You're supposed to crush your enemies! And besides, Callie is a terrible dancer!" Kelsey says snidely. She flips her hair back again.

Ms. Jules looks at Kelsey sternly. "Kelsey, you're breaking two of my most important rules. One, your hair isn't up. It needs to be up in a ponytail or bun. And two, you're putting other dancers down. Whether a dancer comes from our studio or not, you are to never say anything mean about them. Not even behind their back," she says strictly.

Kelsey rolls her eyes. "Whatever," she mutters. She walks to the middle of the room and starts stretching. "Ahem!" Ms. Jules clears her throat loudly. Kelsey turns her head towards her dance teacher. "What!?" she snaps. "Your hair is still down. Please put it up, before you start dancing," Ms. Jules says. Frustrated, Kelsey throws her hands in the air. "I'm not even dancing! I'm warming up!" she snaps.

Ms. Jules puts her hands on her hips. _"Kelsey…"_ she says sternly. Kelsey gets up and stomps over to Ms. Jules and the girls. Before Ms. Jules can say anything, someone peeks their head through the door and asks to speak with her. "I'll be right back, girls. Stay here and begin warming up. Kelsey, your hair needs to be up by the time I come back," she says, leaving the room.

"Which one of you numb-nuts has a hair tie?" Kelsey asks. Usually, the girls have a few hair ties on their wrists or in their dance bags, but today they left their bags in their hotel rooms. Kelsey points to Gabbi, who has her hair up in two French braided pigtails. "Hey, you! Barbecue Hand! Give me one of your hair ties!" she barks. Gabbi looks at her hand. It's still a little bit red from last night, but nothing else about it looks deformed. Kelsey picks on Gabbi the most, because she thinks that Gabbi "stole" her solo. Ms. Jules had them compete for the Castle on a Cloud solo. Since Gabbi got the solo instead of her, Kelsey makes sure to be extra cruel to her. "I don't have an extra rubber band," Gabbi says. Kelsey rolls her eyes. "Yes, you do, Stupid!" she says, gesturing to Gabbi's pigtails. Gabbi feels her pigtails. "I'm using these," she tells her teammate. Kelsey makes her way towards Gabbi. "You aren't anymore!" she says. She grab's Gabbi's pigtails and slides the hair ties off. The other girls gasp and try to help, but Kelsey shoves them out of her way. Kelsey puts one around her wrist and uses the other one to pull her hair into a low ponytail.

"You crybabies better not tell Ms. Jules or your mommies! If you do, I'll beat you up and push you off the stage during the competition!" Kelsey menacingly threatens. Ms. Jules comes back into the room, before any of the girls can say anything.

"Excellent! Your hair is up now, Kelsey!" Ms. Jules says, before noticing that Gabbi's braids are coming undone. She raises an eyebrow and looks at Gabbi. "Gabrielle, why is your hair down now?" she questions. Kelsey, who is standing behind Ms. Jules, grins and mimes that she's pushing someone off a stage. Gabbi quickly looks away from Kelsey and looks down at her feet.

Ms. Jules taps her foot impatiently. "I…umm…let Kelsey…umm…borrow my…umm… hair ties," Gabbi says quietly. "Why did you give her both?" Ms. Jules asks. Gabbi timidly shrugs. "Umm…I don't know," she says in an even quieter voice. Kelsey jumps in front of Gabbi, pushing her aside. "She's so silly! I just needed one hair tie, but she gave me both of her hair ties! She's so nice! I guess she'll do anything for her _best friend!_" she says in an extremely sweet, but extremely fake voice. She turns towards Gabbi and hands her a hair tie. "Here, _bestie!_" she says. She wraps her arms around Gabbi's tiny body and squeezes her tightly. "We're best friends now, and best friends don't tell on each other!" she whispers threateningly into Gabbi's ear. Gabbi quickly nods, as she struggles to breathe. Kelsey lets go of her, and she gasps for air, coughing.

Gabbi quickly ties her hair up into a messy bun. She and the other girls begin to stretch. She keeps an eye on Kelsey and tries to get as far away from the girl as possible. Kelsey makes it impossible, because she follows Gabbi everywhere.

After warming up, the girls practice the group dance. They practice the group dance twice, then work on their solos. Once the girls run their routines a few times, Ms. Jules dismisses them.

* * *

Tori, Cat, Jade, and Trina pick their daughters up and take them to lunch. They dine at one of the hotel's restaurants. After lunch, the girls go back to Cat and Jade's room to rest. There is no way Eden and Mackenzie are staying in a room with Kelsey for an extended period of time. The girls nap on the beds. Gabbi, Abby, and Brooke sleep on one bed, while Eden, Mackenzie, and Addie sleep on the other.

Once the girls are asleep, the mothers quietly discuss their thoughts about Kelsey.

"There's something wonky about that kid," Trina says. They discuss the hot water incident and the alleged bed wetting incident. "Why would she put Gabbi's hand in hot water?" Cat asks. The mothers think. Then Jade figures out what Kelsey's motive was. "The warm water prank!" she announces. The other moms look at her. "What?" Tori asks. "There's this really mean prank where you put someone's hand in warm water while they're asleep, and it's supposed to make them pee," Jade explains. Tori furrows her eyebrows. "Wait...how do you know about the prank," she asks suspiciously. Cat gasps. "Did you ever play the warm water prank on someone!?" she questions. Jade smirks and shrugs. "Maybe," she says nonchalantly.

* * *

At around 3:30 pm, the girls wake up from their naps. They still have a few hours to relax until they're supposed to rehearse their dances again.

The girls check their Slap pages. Gabbi and Addie have been tagged in videos on Kelsey's Slap page. "Guys! Look! Kelsey tagged me in a video," Gabbi exclaims worriedly. "Me too!" Addie say. Brooke looks at her notifications. "She tagged me in a photo," she says. She holds up her phone and shows her friends. "You look really scared in that picture," Eden comments. Brooke tells her friends about how Kelsey forced her to be in the picture.

Gabbi plays the video Kelsey tagged her in. She and her friend watch it intently.

In the video that Gabbi is tagged in, Kelsey holds a steaming cup of water in front of the camera, fogging up the lens. She quickly wipes the lens of and starts speaking. "I'm gonna make Gabbi Oliver-West pee her pants. I read online that if you put someone's hand in warm water when they're sleeping, it makes them pee," she tells the camera. Even though it was dark when Kelsey was filming, the girls could see everything clearly, because she used a night vision filter. She submerges Gabbi's hand into the hit water and hides.

"I knew it was her!" Gabbi exclaims. "Addie, play your video now," Eden says. Addie presses play and sets her phone down so everyone can see.

In the video, Kelsey is holding a cup of water. "I'm gonna make everybody think that Addison Valentine-Shapiro peed in her pants," she says, snickering. She dumps the water on Addie, then hides. Once again, she uses a night vision filter so everything is visible.

"Maybe we should show these videos to our moms…" Eden suggests.

The other girls look at her. "NO!" they all shout.

"If she knows that we showed these to our moms, she'll delete them. Then she'll beat us up and push us off the stage at the competition," Abby says worriedly.

"Maybe we can show them after the competition…that way she'll only be able to beat us up. Ya know? Since we won't be on a stage if she finds out…" Gabbi suggests.

The girls discuss what to do, while their moms discuss Kelsey until it's time to go back to the ballroom and practice.

Gabbi grabs an entire pack of hair ties before heading out the door. Jade notices this and stops her. "Whoa, kiddo! You don't need that many hair ties. Just take one or two," she says to Gabbi. Gabbi shakes her head. "Yes, I do! I need all off them! Every single one of them!" she says. Not wanting to argue, Jade sighs and lets Gabbi take the pack of hair ties with her.


	8. The Competition: Part 4

**The Competition: Don't Poke the Bear**

Terrified, the girls are walking on eggshells around Kelsey. Jade goes against her daughter's wishes to keep everyone safe.

* * *

After their moms drops them off, the girl anxiously stretch and wait for Kelsey to arrive. When her mother drops her off, Gabbi rushes up to Kelsey. "Here! These are for you!" she blurts out, shoving the pack of hair ties into Kelsey's hands. Kelsey pats Gabbi's head as if she were praising an obedient dog. "Good girl…maybe you aren't as dumb as your little friends are," she says in a demeaning tone. She puts the hair ties by the door, so she'll remember to bring them with her when she leaves.

The girl finish warming up and instead of practicing the group dance first, they work on their solos. Kelsey tries to make the girls mess up by singing along to their music very loudly and off-key. However, Ms. Jules quickly makes her stop singing.

Ms. Jules had asked the girls to bring their solo costumes to rehearsal. She asks them to put their costumes on, so they can do a dress rehearsal.

Each girl performs their solo twice. Then, Ms. Jules has them put on their costumes for the group dance.

Their group costumes are yellow and sparkly at the top with light purple trim. There is a light purple band around the middle, and the bottom is a pink skirt with multicolored polka dots on it. There are two bows that match the skirt one is at the top left strap, and the other is supposed to be worn in the girls' hair.

The girls change out of their costumes after rehearsal. Ms. Jules carries the group costumes, and each girl carries her solo costume. They leave the ballroom, and Ms. Jules takes them back to their hotel rooms.

* * *

While Cat, Jade, Trina, and Tori do some minor, last minute alterations on their children's costumes after dinner, Ms. Jules takes the kids to the pool.

"Ms. Jules! Watch this!" Abby exclaims. Ms. Jules watches Abby cannonball into the pool. She smiles and claps when Abby climbs out of the pool. She high fives the small girl and continues watching her students swim and splash around with each other.

"Let's play a game!" Kelsey says. The girls look at each other. "We're already playing 'Mermaids'," Addie says. Kelsey glares at the girls. "And now we're gonna play a different game!" she barks. Too scared to object, the girls listen as Kelsey explains her game.

"The game is called 'Pony,'" Kelsey says. "Me and my _best friend,_ Gabbi will demonstrate." Kelsey brings Gabbi, who happens to be the smallest person of the group, away from her friends and makes her stand a few feet in front of everyone. "Gabbi is my pony," she announces. She roughly jumps onto Gabbi's back and uses her hair as "reins." The weight of Kelsey forces Gabbi's head under water. Gabbi struggles to bring her head to the surface. Kelsey yanks her hair and jerks her head in different directions, forcing water into Gabbi's nose. Gabbi swallows a mouthful of water. Kelsey still holds her underwater. The girls try to pull Kelsey off of Gabbi.

Ms. Jules, who was watching from a lounge chair, jumps into the pool. She pulls Kelsey off of Gabbi. Gabbi surfaces, gasping for air and flailing around. Her head hurts from getting water up her nose, and she chokes and coughs up pool water. Ms. Jules takes her out of the pool and wraps the small child in a towel. She gives Kelsey an angry look. "I think we've had enough pool time for today," she says, carrying Gabbi. Each girl picks up her towel, and they follow Ms. Jules back to their hotel rooms.

* * *

Cat, Jade, Tori, and Trina have finished altering the costumes, so they're watching television together. Jade hears a knock at the door and gets up to answer it. She sees all of the girl's—minus Kelsey–terrorized faces. Ms. Jules hands Gabbi to Jade, and she explains the pool incident. Jade tries to focus on Ms. Jules, but rage is boiling up inside of her. "Thank you for notifying me about the incident. The girls' mothers are in the room with me. They can stay in here for now," Jade says, trying her best to sound neutral. Ms. Jules peeks into the room and sees Cat, Tori, and Trina watching television on the couch. She allows the girls to go into the room, then leaves to bring Kelsey to her mother, so they can discuss the pool incident.

Jade carries Gabbi into the bathroom, so she can clean her up. She tells everyone that she's giving Gabbi and bath and shuts the door. "Gabbi, what did she do to you?" she asks. She begins running water for a bath. She puts her hand under the running water to check the temperature. Gabbi stares at the ground. "I don't wanna talk about it," she says quietly. Jade sighs. "Honey, I need to know what _really_ happened at the pool today," she says softly.

"We were just playing, and my head went underwater," Gabbi tells her mother.

"_Gabrielle Elizabeth Oliver-West…"_ Jade says in a strict voice.

"Please don't use all four of my names!" Gabbi begs.

"_Gabrielle…"_ Jade says sternly.

Gabbi sighs. "We were playing 'Mermaids' when Kelsey came up to us. She said we should play a game, but Addie told her that we were already playing 'Mermaids.' Then Kelsey gave us this really mean look and forced us to play with her. She told us that we we're going to play 'Pony' with her. None of us knew how to play, so she made me demonstrate how to play. She made me stand in front of everyone, then she jumped on my back. When she jumped on me, my head went into the water. I tried to come out of the water and breathe, but she held my head underwater and pulled on my hair. I got water up my nose, and I swallowed some too! Everyone tried to pull Kelsey off of me, but she was too strong. Then Ms. Jules jumped into the pool and yanked her off of me," she explains.

Jade nods slowly, trying to process her daughter's story. "Has Kelsey ever attacked you before?" she asks. She turns off the faucet and added some bubbles to Gabbi's bath.

Gabbi nods. "During rehearsal today, she pulled my hair and stole my hair ties, because she forgot to put her hair up. That's why I need to bring all those hair ties. I gave them to her so she won't take mine again," she says.

Jade hugs her daughter tightly. "I won't let her hurt you, your sister, or any of your friends," she promises. She helps Gabbi remove her bathing suit and gently places her in the tub. She washes Gabbi's hair and quietly sings to her. Once she finishes giving Gabbi a bath, she takes her out of the tub and dries her off with a towel. She grabs a clean pair of pajamas from Gabbi's suitcase and dresses her daughter. She then combs out Gabbi's thick, dark hair, before letting her go back to her friends.

Jade cleans up the bathroom, before going back out to Cat and the kids. Cat tells her that Tori and Trina left, so their kids could bathe and change. Jade is surprised to see Brooke bathed and dressed in her pajamas. Cat explains that she bathed the rest of the kids in the hotel room's other bathroom. Jade thanks Cat for her help, and the two mothers put their children to bed. Gabbi doesn't want her mother to leave her, so Jade lays with her until she falls asleep.

* * *

When she thinks Gabbi and the rest of the kids are asleep, Jade tries to get out of the bed. Unbeknownst to her, Gabbi is only half-asleep. As she begins getting out of bed, Gabbi's eyes open. "Where are you going, mommy?" she whispers. "Nowhere, Sweetie. Go back to sleep," Jade says. She was planning on confronting Kelsey's mother about the kids being bullied by Kelsey. Gabbi sits up and looks at her mother. "Are you gonna tell Kelsey's mom about the pool thing!?" she whispers frantically. "Umm, no," Jade lies. "I just need to...umm...pee." Gabbi gives Jade a suspicious look. Jade doesn't like lying to her family and friends. She sighs.

"Gabbi, Kelsey's mother needs to know about her daughter's behavior. I need to tell her mom, so she can stop her daughter's cruel and violent bullying," Jade says, getting up. Gabbi gets out of bed and wraps her arms and legs around her mother's leg. Jade keeps walking with her daughter hanging onto her leg. "Mommy! Please don't tell her! Kelsey's gonna beat me up and push me off the stage when we dance!" Gabbi begs in a hushed voice.

Jade stops and picks her daughter up. She brings her back to the bed and places her down next to her sleeping sister. "Gabbi, I'm doing this for everyone's safety. This is not up for discussion. I'm giving you two choices. One: you can come with me while I speak to her mother or two: you can stay here," she says. Gabbi thinks about her options. "I'll go with you," she says finally. "Are you sure?" Jade asks. "Well, if Kelsey or her mom beats you up, you're gonna need someone to call 911," Gabbi responds. Jade gives her daughter a half smile and holds her hand. She grabs her room key off the nightstand, then two walk out quietly, so they don't wake anyone up.

Jade knocks on Kelsey and her mother's door. A very tall, muscular woman answers the door.

"Hi, you must be Kelsey's mother. My name is Jade Wes-" Jade begins. "I know who you are! What do you want?" the lady says, cutting Jade off. "Well...umm..." Jade starts, she doesn't know how to address this woman. She honestly doesn't even remember her name. "Nancy," the woman says gruffly. "Well, Nancy, your daughter has been bullying my daughters. In fact, she's been bullying her entire team," Jade says.

Nancy takes a step forward, towards Gabbi and Jade, towering over both of them. She eyeballs the mother and daughter. She puts a giant, meaty hand in front of Jade's face. "If this is about the pool incident, save your breath. That dance lady already told me about. Kelsey was just playing. It's not her fault that your kid doesn't know how to swim," she says. "Kelsey has bullied her teammates on previous occasions as well. She scares the kids into silence by threatening to harm and spread rumours about them," Jade says. "My Kelsey is a perfect little angel. She's never been punished, nor will she ever be. She's never done a single bad thing in her life. She's absolutely flawless," Nancy says matter-of-factly.

"Open your eyes! She tripped Eden onstage during a duet, she whacked Cat's daughter, Addie in the face with her prop, and she tried to drown Gabbi!" Jade exclaims. "Mistakes happen! And you're one to talk! You're the last person that should be giving parenting advice!" Nancy retorts. "Excuse me?" Jade questions, raising an eyebrow. Gabbi hides behind Jade's legs. She nervously chews on her fingernails. "Oh don't act all sweet and innocent! Everyone knows about your teenage pregnancies!" Nancy says.

Her pregnancies with Nolan and Dylan are touchy subjects for Jade. She was bullied at school and belittled in public for being pregnant at a young age. There was name calling, mean pranks, and people trying to pressure her into getting an abortion. People's vicious words and the cruel names she was called were drilled into her mind. She kept hearing them slut shaming her over and over in her head. It affected her so much, that she actually drove to the abortion clinic. However, after sitting in her car in front of the clinic for an hour, she decided that she couldn't go through with it. Instead, she drove to Beck's RV and broke down. As a result of the bullying, Jade suffered from anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Beck made her see a therapist and eventually, Jade got a lot better about talking about her first two pregnancies, but some things can still trigger full blown panic attacks. Although, it was torturous, Jade happened to find one good thing about the bullying. She accredits it to making her more compassionate and kind to others. After her ordeal, she became a lot nicer to people. She even became best friends with Tori and Trina.

A lump forms in Jade's throat. She hates it when people bring up her first two pregnancies. She loves all of her children very much, but she prefers to keep her private life (especially her pregnancies) private.

"Just because I had children when I was very young, doesn't mean that I'm a bad mother," Jade says, trying to remain calm. She regrets letting Gabbi come with her. Nancy snickers. Jade senses that whatever is about to come out of Nancy's mouth is something that she doesn't want her daughter to hear. "Gabbi, please go back to the room, here is the room key," she says, handing her room key to Gabbi. Gabbi obediently takes the key and goes back into the room.

"Why'd you make her leave? Didn't want your precious baby to hear about how terrible her mother is? You shouldn't even be considered a mother! You're not a mother! You're just _a slut_..._a whore_...you're just _a baby machine!_" Nancy says. Jade's heard it all before. She's been called dozens of names, so this isn't the first time someone's ever called her a slut or a whore. But still, it gets to her.

"Don't make this about me. This is about _your_ daughter bullying everyone on her team," Jade says. She tries to remain composed.

Nancy smirks and looks at Jade's abdomen. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were pregnant _again,_" she says snidely, patting Jade's stomach. Jade pushes Nancy's mannish hand away and takes a step back. "Of course you, _the one who didn't even know she was having twins,_ wouldn't know. I think there's a convenience store down the road where you can buy a pregnancy test. It's open 24/7...just like your legs!" Nancy retorts. Jade feels tears threatening to fall. "Look, just tell your kid to stop being such a bully, okay?" Jade says. She walks back to her room, next door and finds that Gabbi has slid the key under the door for her. She picks up the key and goes back into the room, before Nancy even replies.

* * *

Jade places the room key on a night stand and goes into the bathroom. She locks the door and starts to cry softly. She feels like wuss for crying. She takes her phone out of her back pocket and notices that it was accidentally recording a video. She stops the video and calls Beck.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Beck."

"It's Jade."

"Yeah, I kinda guessed that when the caller i.d said 'incoming call from Jade.'"

"I'm sorry for calling you so late, I just really need someone to talk to right now."

"It's only like 11:30. Don't worry. What's up?"

"You know that Kelsey kid on the girl's dance team?"

"Umm...is she the tall, bossy one?"

"Yeah. Anyway, she's been bullying the kids, so I confronted her mother, Nancy about it."

"Alright..."

"Well...Nancy tore me a new one. She brought up my pregnancies with Nolan and Dylan..."

"Oh, Jade..."

"I'm fine, I didn't freak out or anything, but her words just really got to me. I know, it's stupid."

"It's not stupid. André, Robbie, and I are driving up to Vegas to see the kids perform tomorrow. We can take care of Nancy for you."

"Thanks, babe. I love you."

"No problem. I love you too. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. See you tomorrow."

"See ya tomorrow."

"Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Jade hangs up and takes a deep breath. She leaves the bathroom and plugs in her phone. Since Cat and her daughters are asleep in one of the beds, she crawls into the other bed, being careful not to wake up her kids. She watches them sleep peacefully, and she reflects on what Nancy had said to her until falling asleep.


	9. The Competition: Part 5

**The Competition: Sabotage!**

The girls learn that some people will do whatever it takes to get ahead.

* * *

At 2 am, Tori awakes to the sound of someone banging on the door. She groans and slips out of bed. She opens the door and sees Ms. Jules frantically standing before her.

"Tori! They're ruined!" Ms. Jules exclaims.

Tori tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Huh?" she says.

Ms. Jules puts the box down and takes a costume out of it. The once adorable costumes are now torn, and they have black stains on it.

Tori squints and takes a closer look at the costume. "What happened?" she asks.

Ms. Jules shrugs. "I don't know! But I need all the kids to get up so I can find new group costumes for them!" she tells Tori.

Tori puts her hand in front of her, like she's signalling someone to stop. "It's 2 in the morning! How are you gonna find seven new costumes at this hour?" she says.

"I'll figure something out! Just get everyone up and ready to go costume shopping," Ms. Jules instructs. Before Tori can react, Ms. Jules is already pounding on Cat, Jade, and their kids' door.

Tori stands in the doorway, confused. She quickly shuts the door and flicks the lights on. "Guys! You have to get up! Ms. Jules needs us to get dressed," she announces loudly. Eden and Mackenzie groan and shield their eyes from the light. Trina gets out of bed and yawns. Nancy and Kelsey remove their matching eye masks and angrily glare at Tori. "Tori, it's like 2 am! What could Ms. Jules possibly need!?" an annoyed Trina questions. Tori explains the costumes being ruined and starts getting her daughter up and dressed.

* * *

The mothers and the girls meet Ms. Jules in the lobby of the hotel at 2:30 am. The girls struggle to keep their eyes open as Ms. Jules explains their predicament. "All the stores are probably closed! How are we gonna find new costumes?" Cat asks. Jade shrugs. "It's Vegas, there's bound to be _something_ open," she says. The mothers use their PearPhones and try to find somewhere to get costumes at, while the kids sleep on the couches in the lobby.

Finally, Trina finds a store called Dance 24/7.

Ms. Jules calls three taxis, and she splits everyone up. She rides in the first taxi with Kelsey and Nancy. Cat, Jade, Abby, Brooke, and Gabbi ride in the second cab, and Tori, Trina, Addie, Eden, and Mackenzie ride in the last cab. Within 20 minutes, all three cabs arrive at the shop.

* * *

The mothers and girls search for possible new costumes, while Ms. Jules asks if the store has the original costume in stock. Since the store doesn't carry the same costume, Ms. Jules joins the mothers and searches for a new costume.

Eden, Mackenzie, and Addie find sparkly bra tops in various colors. They call Ms. Jules over and show her their discoveries. Ms. Jules looks at the tops and calls the rest of the group over.

"Eden, Mackenzie, and Addison found these tops! Each of the girls will be a color of the rainbow," Ms. Jules announces to the mothers and girls. She lists the girls' names and their colors.

**Brooke: red**

**Kelsey: orange**

**Mackenzie: yellow**

**Abby: green**

**Addie: blue**

**Eden: purple**

**Gabbi: white**

Ms. Jules hands each girl a top and asks them to go to the fitting rooms, so they can try it on.

When all of the girls come out of the fitting, Ms. Jules makes them line up in rainbow order.

"Did you all bring a pair of black dance shorts?" Ms. Jules asks.

"Yes," all of the girls say.

Ms. Jules always makes her students bring at least one pair of black shorts to competitions. She makes them bring black shorts in case there are any costume problems. She chose black, because it looks good with any color.

The mother pay for the costumes, and everyone takes a cab back to the hotel.

* * *

By the time everyone gets back to the hotel, it's 5:23 am. The competition is today. Ms. Jules lets the girls rest until 9:30 am. At 9:30, the girls will go back the ballroom and rehearse in their costumes. They'll rehearse for a few hours, rest, then head to the competition.

The girls arrive at the competition in their bus. Fans and paparazzi are gathered behind velvet ropes. Between the ropes, there is a walkway for the girls to enter the building. The girls hear their names being shouted from every direction. They look around, smile, and wave.

When they enter the building, the girls and Ms. Jules check in, while the mothers find the dressing room. The girls and Ms. Jules come back to the dressing room. Ms. Jules holds a schedule in her hand. "Alright! Solos will be performed first. Then duets and trios are next. And finally, groups of four or more are performing last," she announces. She looks at the schedule again.

"Gabrielle, your solo starts off the entire competition. Addison, you will perform right after Gabrielle. After Addison, Mackenzie is performing, then Abigail, then Brooklyn, then Kelsey, and finally, Eden will go last," Ms. Jules reads from her schedule. She tells each what their solo entry number is. The entry numbers are based on when each dancer performs. The group has an hour and a half before the actual competition begins.

Ms. Jules has her students warm up and run each of their routines once, before allowing them to change into their costumes. Once the girls run their solos, they start getting ready.

Jade swipes her finger through a container of brown face paint and smears across Gabbi's cheek. She blends the paint into her daughters face a bit, before applying more paint. After she finishes making Gabbi's face appear dirty, Jade washes her hands. She helps Gabbi change into her solo costume and styles her hair. She then helps Brooke put on her costume. Since Brooke isn't performing anytime soon, she doesn't do her makeup yet.

Gabbi shows Ms. Jules her costume, makeup, and hair. Her costume has champagne colored sleeves and laces up in the front. The bottom is tattered and torn. Her dark hair is half up, and it's messily tied with a grey ribbon.

The other mothers finish getting their children ready. When all of her students have their costumes on, Ms. Jules makes an announcement.

"Girls, do you remember when I left the room for a moment to talk to someone during rehearsal?" Ms. Jules asks. The girls nod. "Well, I was talking to a man who is creating a new reality television show. The show is going be to called Just Dance. They are considering featuring our studio on the show. The creator, Bryan Delmar wants to interview you girls to get a feel for your personalities and film your dances. I just need your mothers to sign these permission forms," she continues. She passes out the forms.

Everyone except Tori and Jade are excited by the news. The kids cheer and chatter happily, while their moms sign the permission forms. Tori and Jade exchange looks, remembering the time that they were featured on _The Wood_. "Girls, nothing is real about reality TV," Tori says. The kids stop cheering. They look at Tori. "What do you mean?" Addie asks. "Your Aunt Tori and I were going to be on a reality show called _The Wood_. The people who worked for _The Wood_ edited what they filmed to make us look bad," Jade explains. "Also, being in the public eye is a lot to handle," Tori adds. The kids (minus Kelsey) are already very well-known due to their parents and their performing. "Please let me do it! I can handle it," Eden begs. Brooke and Gabbi look at Jade. "Please, mom!" Brooke pleads. Tori and Jade look at each other. They both sigh and reluctantly sign the forms. They figure that the chance of the studio actually being featured is very low.

Ms. Jules reads a text on her PearPhone. "The creator and camera man are coming to interview the girls in five minutes," she says.

* * *

The mothers and kids line up in the hallway for their interviews. Ms. Jules has the girls practicing their dances at one end of the, while interviews take place at the other end. Halfway through the interviews, the kids' fathers show up. The mothers fill them in on what's happening. When Gabbi starts her interview, Kelsey walks up to Ms. Jules. "Ms. Jules, can I get my chapstick from the dressing room?" Kelsey asks. Ms. Jules gives her permission, but tells her not to disrupt the interviews. Kelsey skips to the dressing room.

In the dressing room, Kelsey heads straight to her bag. She takes out a plastic bag. Inside the bag, there is a stick of butter and a smaller bag containing a sponge. Kelsey takes out the sponge, which happens to be full of cooking oil, and squeezes the excess liquid out of it. She sets the sponge down on top of its bag. She grabs Gabbi's dance shoes and brings them to her bag. She wipes the oily sponge on the bottom of the shoes, covering it in slippery oil. She puts the sponge away and takes out the butter. She smears butter on the bottoms of Gabbi's shoes, so that they'll be extra slippery. She puts her stuff back and returns Gabbi's shoes to where she found them. She washes the oil and butter off of her hands and puts some of her chapstick on, before leaving the dressing room.

* * *

There are ten minutes left before the competition begins, so Ms. Jules takes Gabbi and Addie backstage. The rest of the girls and parents sit in the audience.

"Okay, girls! When the announcer says your name, number, and dance, go on stage. Remember: straight legs and pointed feet!" Ms. Jules tells her students backstage. Gabbi and Addie nods. They hug Ms. Jules, before she goes back to her seat in the audience. "Good luck!" Addie says to Gabbi. "You too!" Gabbi responds. They hug and watch the announcer speaking on the stage.

"Hello! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Showtime Dance Competition. At this competition, solos will be performed first. Next will be the duets and trios. And finally, group routines with four or more dancers will be performed last. To start us off, please welcome contestant number one, Gabbi with Castle on a Cloud!" the announcer says. He exits the stage, and the lights go out in the audience and on stage. Gabbi enters the stage and gets into her starting position. The lights come up on the stage and her music starts to play.

_There is a castle on a cloud. I like to go there in my sleep._

Gabbi begins her dance. Her facial expressions convey sadness, but also hopefulness to the audience. She gracefully pirouettes on the stage. The stage is much more slippery than Gabbi had expected it to be. So, she pays extra attention to keeping her dancing graceful and balanced. She continues to dance beautifully. The audience watches silently.

Gabbi sashays across the stage and gets ready to do a front aerial. She does a small hurdle to get more momentum. She begins to her front aerial, but slips during the takeoff. This causes her aerial to be sloppy and unbalanced. She falls during her landing, and her shoulder ends up in an awkward position, taking most of the impact.

The audience gasps. Everyone becomes silent again. An obnoxiously loud laugh erupts from someone.

Despite the numbness in her shoulder, Gabbi manages to get up and resumes her routine without missing a beat. The audience applauds when she gets up and continues dancing. She holds back the urge to cry in pain and finishes her dance. The audience claps and when the lights go out on the stage again, she hurries backstage.

* * *

Beck and Jade meet Gabbi in front of the door that separates the hallway from backstage. Crying, Gabbi runs into her parents' arms. Beck scoops his daughter up into his arms. Gabbi wraps her tiny arms around Beck's neck and whimpers. "I'm sorry, mommy and daddy!" she cries. Jade strokes her daughter's hair. "Why are you sorry?" Beck asks. "Because I fell and messed up my whole dance. And now you're embarrassed that I messed everything up!" Gabbi replies. "Oh, honey. We're not embarrassed at all! You did wonderfully. Even though you fell, you got right back up and finished dancing. We are so proud of you!" Jade tells Gabbi.

Gabbi begins to cry more. The adrenaline that numbed the excruciating pain in her shoulder is wearing off. "My shoulder really hurts!" she whimpers. "Which shoulder?" Beck asks. "Beck, the shoulder she landed on is obviously the one that hurts!" Jade sarcastically retorts. Beck rolls his eyes. He knows that Jade gets snarky and sarcastic when she's worried about their children. "I meant does her left or right shoulder hurt," he says. "The right one hurts!" Gabbi says. Jade gently touches her daughter's right shoulder. "Ow! Mommy!" Gabbi screams, flinching. Jade apologizes and asks if she can move it. Gabbi nods, and Jade asks more questions.

* * *

Gabbi sits on Beck's lap in the dressing room. Jade holds an icepack to her shoulder. Addie had just finished performing, so everyone is coming back to the dressing room. The mothers begin getting their kids ready for their upcoming dances. "Listen up! Mackenzie, Abigail, and Brooklyn are performing next! There are quite a few dancers that are performing ahead of them, so you all have time to do makeup and hair and run your solos again," Ms. Jules announces.

After her announcement, Ms. Jules checks on Gabbi. "Hey, kiddo. That was quite a fall," Ms. Jules says. Gabbi looks at her dance teacher. "I'm really sorry that I fell. And I'm sorry for embarrassing you by messing up my solo. You can kick me off the team if you want to," she says. Ms. Jules kneels down in front of Gabbi. "Sweetheart, you don't have to be sorry! I'm not embarrassed, nor am I kicking you off the team. You're one of my best students. Everyone makes mistakes," she tells her student. Gabbi smiles a little. "Really?" she says. Ms. Jules nods. "Really." She hugs Gabbi, before walking around to see the other girls' makeup and hair. Jade kisses Gabbi on the cheek and hands the icepack to Beck. She walks away to find Brooke, so she can do her makeup.

* * *

Once Mackenzie, Abby, and Brooke have their makeup and hair done, they run their solos with Ms. Jules and get critiqued, before going backstage. The rest of the team sits in the audience.

"Up next, we have contestant number twenty-eight! Please welcome Mackenzie with Funky Fresh!" the announcer says from offstage.

Mackenzie enters the stage. She does her upbeat hiphop routine, making sure to fix the things that Ms. Jules pointed out. She finishes with one hand on her hip and the other hand in the air. The audience claps, and she exits the stage.

"Next up is contestant number twenty-nine, Abby with Dreamer!"

Abby enters the stage and waits for her music to start. When her song starts, she gracefully dances across the stage with fluid motions. She ends her routine laying on the ground, curled up as if she were asleep. The audience claps, and she leaves the stage.

There is one routine before Brooke's, so she is still backstage.

"Please welcome contestant number thirty, Callie with I Dreamed a Dream!"

All of the girls, except Kelsey, excitedly watch their good friend and former teammate perform. They clap and cheer when Callie finishes her dance.

"Next up is contestant number thirty-one, Brooke with Forget You!"

Brooke confidently steps onto the stage. Her music starts to play, and she begins to do her tap solo.

Kelsey tells her mother that she is going to the bathroom and leaves the theatre. Instead of going to the bathroom, she goes into the dressing room. She takes out her oil sponge and stick of butter, which had melted a bit. She goes around the room, putting cooking oil and butter on the bottom of everyone's jazz shoes. She puts a very small amount of butter on her shoes, so she doesn't seem suspicious. She puts her supplies away in her bag and goes back to the theatre.

On her way back to the theatre, Kelsey sees her mother, Tori, and Eden coming her way. Although she fears that they know what she was up to, Kelsey remains calms and neutral. She finds out that they were just going back to the dressing room getting ready for her and Eden's solos.

* * *

After getting ready, Eden and Kelsey head backstage. Kelsey performs first. Her performance was mediocre at best. She fell out of numerous turn sequences, but her tricks were executed well.

Eden is the last soloist to perform. She performs her solo very gracefully. When both girls finish performing, they meet the rest of their team in the dressing room.

When Eden and Kelsey enter the dressing room, Ms. Jules congratulates them on their solos.

* * *

The girls relax for a while the duets and trios are performed. They watch Callie perform in her trio. After watching Callie's trio perform, the girls get ready for the group dance. Each girl changes into her costume, and their moms do their makeup. Ms. Jules has the kids run the routine a few times. Since Gabbi's shoulder feels better, she practices with the group. Ms. Jules notices that the girls are slipping and falling as they practice, so she makes them take of their shoes and perform barefoot.

* * *

When everyone finishes getting ready and practicing, Ms. Jules takes the girls backstage. She tells them a few last-minute corrections and wishes them luck before heading to the audience. When the girls' routine is announced, they head onto the stage. Gabbi starts the dance when their music begins to play. She does a back handspring back tuck. When she returns to her starting position, the other girls start to dance. When they finish dancing, they get a standing ovation. They exit the stage and go back to the dressing room.


	10. The Competition: Part 6

**The Competition: Terror and Tutus**

All hell breaks loose after Nancy tells Gabbi a secret about her parents.

* * *

After all the other group dances are performed, all of the competitors go back onto the stage for the awards ceremony. The announcer starts with the solo awards. There are several older dancers holding prizes.

"First up, we have the solo division. In the 5-7 lyrical age group, fifth place goes to Miss Kelsey with her solo, Thunder!"

Shocked that she isn't in first place, Kelsey gasps loudly. She angrily stomps to the front of the stage to collect her trophy and pouts. The announcer announces who got fourth place. Next, he announces that Abby's solo, Dreamer came in third place. He then announces that Callie's routine, I Dreamed a Dream came in second place. Finally, he announces the first place winner.

"And in first place, we have…Miss Gabbi with her solo, Castle on a Cloud!"

Gabbi's teammates cheer for her as she walks to the front of the stage to accept her trophy and crown. The announcer than finishes announcing the awards for the other categories in the 5-7 age group.

Eden receives first place for her contemporary solo.

Mackenzie receives second place for her hip hop solo.

Addie receives fourth place for her jazz routine.

Brooke receives first place for her tap number.

The announcer finishes announcing the awards for the other age divisions, before announcing the overall winner of each age group. In the overall 5-7 age division, Callie gets first place, Gabbi gets second place, and Eden places third.

After announcing all of the solo awards, the announcer lists all of the duet and trio awards. Finally, he lists the group awards.

The kids' group dance, Lollipop, receives first place. The girls excitedly accept their big trophy.

* * *

When the award ceremony is over, the girls return to the dressing room. They burst through the door cheering. Kelsey is the only one that's unhappy. Ms. Jules hugs her students and congratulates them on their awards. Kelsey smashes her fifth place trophy on the ground, breaking it into several pieces. She grumbles about how she should have won the whole competition. Ms. Jules gives her a lecture on being happy with whatever placement she gets.

As the parents and kids pack up, Jade notices something strange about her daughters' dance shoes. She raises an eyebrow. She smells butter. She looks at the bottom of one of Brooke's shoes and sees the greasy residue of the cooking oil and butter. She looks at the rest of her kids' shoes and sees greasy residue. She shows it to Beck. They both think that it's strange, so they ask Cat if her kids' shoes have the same residue on the bottoms. Cat sees the residue and alerts Tori and Trina, who also find the residue on their children's shoes.

Jade shows the shoes to Ms. Jules. Ms. Jules gets the attention of everyone and looks at every one's dance shoes. She notices that Kelsey's shoes have a significantly smaller amount of residue on them. She takes Kelsey into the hallway to have a little "chat."

As Beck and Jade clean the residue off of the bottom of their daughters' shoes, Nancy approaches them.

"You know, Beck, when you tired of your slutbag of a wife, you should call me sometime," Nancy tells Beck. Beck looks at the huge woman. "Excuse me? I love Jade! She is not a slut, and I'd appreciate it if you would not use that kind of language when my children are in the room," he says defensively. Nancy rolls her eyes. "Oh please! _Two_ teenage pregnancies and one 'surprise' twin!? Your little skank is the walking definition of slut!" she retorts. Beck stands up. "You have no right to talk about my wife this way! You know nothing about me, my wife, or our family. Now, please! Leave us alone!" he says in a hushed but angry voice. He glances at his daughters, who are running around on the other side of the dressing room with their friends.

"Fine!" Nancy says. She walks away and goes toward Gabbi. Beck and Jade follow her, worried that she'll hurt one of the kids. Nancy approaches Gabbi. She corners and halts the small child, who is running away from Brooke, who happens to be "It" in the kids' game of "Tag." Gabbi tries to step around Nancy, but Nancy blocks her way. "Excuse me, Mrs. Kelsey's mom. Can you please let me run? I don't want to be 'It,'" Gabbi says politely. Nancy smirks. "Actually I have something to tell you," she says. Gabbi glances at the other kids running around and tries to move around Nancy again. Unfortunately Nancy blocks her path again. "Come with me," Nancy says. Before Gabbi can object, Nancy grabs her arm and drags her to the other side of the room, away from her friends.

Beck and Jade see Nancy holding onto their child, and run over to her. "Hey! Let go of my daughter!" Jade orders. Gabbi struggles to release her arm from Nancy's strong grip. "Did you know that your mommy—" Nancy begins before getting cut off by Jade yelling the word "stop."

Nancy ignores Jade and looks at the helpless child in her grip. "Your mommy and daddy didn't even know about you until you were born. They only wanted to have your sister, but then you came along and screwed that up. You're a mistake. They only kept you because they didn't want their reputations to be ruined. They don't love you. They only kept you because they had to!" she tells Gabbi. Gabbi looks at the huge skyscraper of a woman in horror. She looks at Jade, who is nearly crying. Then, she looks at Beck, who has an angry facial expression. Nancy releases her and says, "That's all I have to say. Now run along, _mistake baby!_"

Gabbi does exactly what Nancy says to do, but instead of running back to her friends, she runs right out the door. Jade follows her daughter out the door.

"You had no right to tell my child that! What kind of sick person says that to a kid!?" Beck exclaims furiously. Nancy scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Oh boohoo! She was gonna find out eventually! At least I knew about my daughter prior to her arrival, like a _good parent._" She says. Beck tries to let his anger simmer down before replying. He clenches his teeth, trying to hold back the rage that he's feeling towards the woman. "The circumstances surrounding her birth do not change my feelings towards my daughter at all. Even though she came as a surprise, I couldn't imagine life without her!" Beck says. Nancy just smirks. "Don't you have to go screw you wife and make more mistake babies or whatever?" she taunts. Beck takes a deep breath and simply walks away. He is not going to argue with Nancy anymore because he knows he won't be able to keep his temper in check if he spends another second near her. He focuses his attention on Brooke and helping her pack up her belongings.

* * *

Gabbi hears Jade's footsteps behind her. She runs into the nearest women's bathroom and locks herself in a stall. The last thing Jade sees before losing sight of her daughter is the bathroom door opening and closing. She takes a moment to catch her breath, before walking into the bathroom. The bathroom is silent, except for the quiet sound of Gabbi crying. No one else is in the bathroom, and all of the stall doors are open, except for the handicap stall.

Jade sighs. "Gabbi…" she says softly. "Don't talk to me! I'm not here!" Gabbi replies. Jade walks to the handicap stall's door. She tries to push the door open, realizes that Gabbi had locked it.

"Gabbi, I know it's you."

"No, it's not!"

"Honey, I know that you're in there."

"No, you don't!"

"Don't make me crawl under the stall!"

"You wouldn't do that."

"Yes, I would."

"Why are you even here? I'm a mistake, and I ruined you and daddy's lifes!"

"Gabrielle Elizabeth Oliver-West, don't you dare say that about yourself ever again!"

"But it's true! Kelsey's mom said so!"

"She was lying!"

"You said grown-ups never lie!"

"Well, I was wrong. Please open the door."

"Fine."

Gabbi unlocks the bathroom stall and looks at her mother with tears streaming down her face. Jade's heart shatters when she sees her daughter's crestfallen face. The sparkle in her daughter's eyes and her exuberant energy seem to have faded. "Gabbi, Kelsey's mother is wrong. Your father and I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you. Yes, it is true that you came as a surprise, but that doesn't change how much I love you. I'm so sorry," Jade says, on the verge of tears. Gabbi steps closer to Jade, then she runs up to her mother, wrapping her tiny, twig-like arms around her mother's neck in a firm hug.

Jade embraces her sobbing daughter. She gently lifts Gabbi into her arms and leaves the bathroom stall. Gabbi buries her face into her mother's shoulder. The soft black fabric of Jade's top against her face and the pleasant smell of laundry detergent are soothing to Gabbi. Jade soothingly rocks the tiny girl on her hip, not caring that Gabbi's makeup is getting all over her favorite shirt. She rests her head against Gabbi's.

"Mommy, why would Kelsey's mother say that to me?" Gabbi asks Jade. She lifts her head and looks her mother in the eyes. Jade looks into her daughter's clear blue eyes, which are identical to her own. She sighs sadly. "Because she is not a very nice woman, and she wanted to put you down," she tells her daughter. Gabbi looks at Jade thoughtfully. "We have to go back to the dressing room. We can't let this horrible lady get the best of us!" she announces. Jade smiles, glad that her daughter is back to her normal, happy self again. She is extremely proud that Gabbi isn't letting someone as cruel as Nancy get her down for long.

* * *

When Jade and Gabbi re-enter the dressing room, they are greeted with chaos. Robbie, Trina, and André are struggling to contain Nancy. She has Beck backed into a corner. Her massive hands grip the front of Beck's shirt as she screams numerous expletives in his face. Crimson blood is dripping from Beck's nose. A petrified Brooke is struggling underneath Kelsey, who just tackled her. Kelsey is yanking on Brooke's hair with one hand and beating the poor girl up with the other. Cat is trying to distract and mollify the terrorized children, while Tori attempts to pull Kelsey off of Brooke, dodging the girl's swinging fist. Ms. Jules is trying to shoo the camera crew out of the room as she calls the police.

Gabbi jumps out of her mother's arms and runs over to her sister. As Gabbi comes over, Tori is finally able to detach Kelsey from Brooke. Kelsey kicks and flails in Tori's arms. Jade rushes over to her daughter. She scoops Brooke into her arms and takes her away from everyone.

Jade looks at her bruised and bloodied child. Brooke is trembling because she is so terrified. "Mommy, I didn't do it!" she exclaims fearfully. She keeps repeating the same statement to Jade. Jade just holds her frightened daughter tightly.

"MOMMY!" Kelsey screams. Nancy takes her focus off of Beck and looks over at her daughter. She finally leaves Beck alone, and she stomps over to Tori. "Unhand my daughter, bitch!" she barks at Tori. She brings her palm across Tori's face. Tori lets go of Kelsey and put her hand to her cheek, which now had a large red handprint on it. Before she can say anything, three police officers burst through the door. Two officers escort Kelsey and Nancy to the police station. One officer stays behind to take everyone's statements. Jade tends to her husband and daughter's wounds, while the officer interviews the group.

* * *

The kids are too stunned to talk to the police officer, so the adults fill her in on the situation. Cat holds onto a shaking Addie, and Robbie has an equally terror-stricken Abby in his arms. Eden clings onto André as she stares straight ahead, frozen in fear. Mackenzie's face is buried in her mother's shoulder as Trina holds her.

"I was helping my daughter, Brooke, pack up her belongings after I had just walked away from Nancy. She was saying rude things about my family, and she had just told my other daughter, Gabbi, that she was a mistake. I was too angry to deal with her in a calm, polite manner, so I turned my attention to my child. As I was zipping up my daughter's dance bag, that woman came up to me and informed me that my daughters were bullying her kid. When I denied it, she yanked me up by the front of my shirt. She backed me into a corner and punched me in the face. Several people were trying to restrain her, while I tried to get to my child, who was being attacked by Nancy's daughter, Kelsey. When Tori finally pulled Kelsey off of Brooke, Nancy slapped her," Beck tells the officer as Jade dabs the blood on his face with a tissue. He holds a still-trembling Brooke on his lap. The officer scribbles some notes down on her small notepad. She finishes interviewing everyone, then takes everyone back to the Venetian Hotel.

* * *

The next morning Brooke wakes up with a swollen lip and black eye. She is the last one to wake up. She hears the adults and kids talking, so she joins them. The adults are discussing yesterday's incident with their children. Everyone's nerves have calmed a significant amount since the day before, but all of them were still on edge.

Once they wrap up their discussion, the adults take the kids out to breakfast to celebrate their wins at the competition yesterday. After breakfast, everyone explores Las Vegas for a few hours, grateful that Nancy is currently being held in jail with a high bail.

* * *

**Hey, everyone! I am super sorry for not updating sooner! I got so busy with school that I completely forgot about this. I lost my writing mojo, but it's back, baby! I've been doing a lot of writing, and I hope to post some new fanfics and updates for my current ones. I've also been proofreading my other fanfic, This Little Girl. I wrote most of it at like 1 am, while I was extremely tired and sleep deprived, so there were a ton of errors that I didn't catch before posting it. Hopefully, I've got them all fixed. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! :)**


	11. The Competition: Part 7

**The Competition: Wrap-Up**

Tying up loose ends from the last few chapters.

* * *

After Nancy was arrested, she was taken to the Las Vegas police station, which is where she was held on of $500,000. She spent 90 days in jail and was put on three years of probation.

Kelsey was put into a therapy program for violent and aggressive children.

Beck and Tori successfully sued Nancy for assault.

Jade (on behalf of her daughters) successfully sued Nancy for assault and intentional infliction of emotion distress.

Kelsey and her mother were banned from Reflections Dance Studio, and Kelsey was kicked off the team.

Callie came back to Reflections because Kelsey was gone.


	12. A New Family Member: Part 1

**A New Family Member: A Visit to the Animal Shelter**

After months and months of their kids begging and pleading, Beck and Jade agree to adopt a dog — as long as the kids promise to help take care of it.

* * *

Beck and Jade are asleep in their bed when the door to their bedroom opens a crack. 8-year-old Nolan peeks into his parent's room. He looks back at his younger siblings and nods. The four Oliver-West children tiptoe into their parent's room. Nolan and 7-year-old Dylan go the left side of the bed, which is where Jade sleeps, and 5-year-olds Brooke and Gabbi go to the right side of the bed, which is where Beck sleeps. Nolan holds up his fist. He silently uses his fingers to count to three. After he puts his a third finger up, he signs something to his brother and sisters. Signing the sign language sign for "water," he turns his hand to the side and brings his index finger to his lips. Seeing their oldest brother's signal, the four kids spring in to action.

"GOOD MORNING!" the four children shout, jumping onto their parents' bed.

A sleepy Beck sits up. A startled Jade screams and flinches, accidentally hitting her husband in the groin. Beck groans in pain, and the kids giggle.

Jade puts a hand over her racing heart. "Sorry, Beck," she apologizes. She looks at her children, then she looks at the digital clock on her nightstand. Its glowing red numbers read 4:30 in the morning.

"Kids, it's 4:30 in the morning. What are you doing awake!?" Jade questions.

"You and daddy said we'd leave to go to get a dog at 4:30!" Brooke tells her mother as she hops off the bed. She and Gabbi try to pull Beck out of bed, while Nolan and Dylan try to pull Jade out of bed.

Jade sighs and runs a hand through her raven-colored locks. "Honey, we meant 4:30 in the afternoon. It's too early to go now. The shelter doesn't even open for another five and a half hours," she explains to her children.

The kids frown. They stop pulling on their parents. "Dylan, I told you to set an alarm for 4:30!" Nolan complains. Dylan points to Brooke. "I told Brooke to do it!" he exclaims in response. Brooke shrugs. "He didn't tell me which 4:30 to set the alarm for, so I just picked the sooner one!" she states. Her parents chuckle.

Beck suggests that the children go back to bed, and Jade voices her support for her husband's suggestion.

"But we're too excited to sleep!" Dylan whines, climbing back onto the bed.

Beck and Jade sigh. Unlike their children, they have no problem with going back to sleep.

"Let's talk about dogs until we feel sleepy again!" Gabbi suggests. Her siblings approve of her idea. They join Dylan and their parents on top of the bed. Beck and Jade, on the other hand, aren't very fond of their youngest daughter's idea.

Beck runs a hand through his dark hair. "Kids, you can talk about dogs tomorrow. Your mother and I are very tired right now, and we want to go back to sleep," he tells his children. Gabbi pats him on the head. She gives him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, daddy! We'll talk quietly," she says in a hushed voice. The other kids nod and tell their father that they'll be quiet.

Beck looks over at his wife, hoping that she will back him up. Unfortunately for him, Jade has already gone back to sleep. He sighs. "Can't you at least go back to your rooms to talk about dogs until you fall asleep again?" he asks. The kids shake their heads. "Why not?" Beck questions.

"You and mommy know when we're actually going to the animal shelter, so you can wake us up at the right time," Brooke answers.

"And we can't wake you up in your own rooms because...?" Beck asks with a raised eyebrow. He yawns sleepily.

"Because we want to be awake as soon as you and mommy get up and if we fall asleep in here, then you can wake us up immediately after you wake up," Dylan explains to his father.

Beck releases a long, drowsy sigh. He is too tired to argue with kids anymore. He yields to his kids' points and lets them stay. Turning over on his side, he drifts back into a deep slumber.

Brooke and Gabbi grab an extra blanket from their room, and Nolan and Dylan do the same. The twins lay in between Beck and Jade, while the boys lay at their parent's feet.

"I want a big, scary dog that has sharp teeth," Nolan quietly states to his siblings.

"Why would you want a big, scary dog!? I want a cute and fluffy little dog! I could dress it up and brush its fur!" Brooke says, making sure that her voice is lowered.

"Ew, no! I don't want a girlie purse dog! I want a big, scary dog because it would scare away intruders. A burglar would just laugh at a tiny dog in a sweater," Nolan whispers in reply to Brooke.

Brooke sticks her tongue out at Nolan.

"Well, I want a loyal dog that I can run around and play with!" Dylan declares in a hushed voice.

"I don't care what the dog looks like. I just want a friendly one that needs a loving home," Gabbi softly tells her siblings.

The four kids discuss their opinions on what their ideal pet dog would be for about twenty minutes, before they start feeling sleepy. One by one, the children drift to sleep with visions of puppies dancing around in their heads.

* * *

At 7:00 in the morning, Beck wakes up. He quietly showers, gets dressed, and eats breakfast, while everyone else stays asleep. Before he leaves to work on his new movie, his kisses each of his sleeping children on the forehead, and he kisses his sleeping wife on the cheek.

* * *

Beck returns to his home at 4:00 in the afternoon. The kids abandon the movie that they're watching and happily run to greet their father as he enters the house. Jade kisses her husband on the lips, grossing out her children.

Beck talks with his family for a few minutes, before he goes up to his and Jade's bedroom to change. The kids follow him, urging him to change faster.

After thirty minutes of incessant needling from their children, Beck and Jade finally round everybody up and get into their minivan. They take a short, fifteen minute drive to the animal shelter with the kids chattering nonstop about dogs in the backseat.

* * *

At the shelter, Beck and Jade go up to the front desk with their kids. They briefly speak with the lady at the front desk, then she takes the family back to see the available dogs that are up for adoption.

The kids excitedly run in different directions, looking for a new addition to add to their family. Beck and Jade stay together, keeping an eye on their children as they stroll around the shelter. The dogs are corralled into groups of two to four, and they are in spacious kennels with metal wire coverings on the front.

Nolan looks from dog to dog, only paying attention to the bigger, scarier ones. He ignores any dog that looks like it weighs less than he does.

Dylan searches for the most active and playful dogs of the groups. He focuses his attention on the dogs that are running around or playing with toys.

Brooke darts from kennel to kennel, keeping her eyes peeled for any small dogs. She can be heard exclaiming how cute a dog is every few seconds. She squeals at almost every little dog she sees.

Gabbi stays close to her parents, not really looking for a specific type of dog in particular. She occasionally stops if a certain dog catches her eye. She'll thoughtfully watch it until she's ready to move on.

* * *

"Mommy! Daddy! I found a dog!" Brooke calls out to her parents.

Beck and Jade walk over to their daughter and take a look at the dog that she's pointing at. The dog looks like it weighs about ten pounds. Its fur is curly and white. It's playfully wrestling with one of the other dogs in its kennel.

A shelter employee takes the dog out and lets Brooke meet it. She tells Beck and Jade information about the dog, while Brooke plays with it. Even though Brooke is convinced that she and the little dog are soulmates, Beck and Jade are able to convince her to look at other dogs. They thank the employee as she puts the dog back, then they walk around more.


	13. A New Family Member: Part 2

**A New Family Member: Unexpected Additions**

When the Oliver-West family takes a trip to the animal shelter, they end up coming home with a lot more than they bargained for.

* * *

As Gabbi is looking around, she sees a group of four dogs in a larger kennel in the corner of the shelter. She skips over to the kennel and looks inside.

There are four puppies in the kennel. One is a large Rottweiler puppy, one is a medium-sized Golden Retriever puppy, another is a small Pomeranian puppy, and the last one is Pitbull puppy. The Rottweiler walks around the kennel, surveying any passersby with a watchful, but nonthreatening eye. The Golden Retriever is ball of energy. It's running around in circles, entertaining itself with a rubber ball. The Pomeranian is a ball of fluff. It sits regally, grooming its teeny paws. The sad looking Pitbull just lays in the corner with its back turned away and its head resting on the floor.

Gabbi intently watches the foursome for a few minutes, then calls over her parents and siblings. Beck, Jade, Nolan, Dylan, and Brooke join Gabbi by the kennel. They observe the pups for a few minutes too.

"Look! Each one matches what you guys are looking for. The black one is big and scary, like Nolan wants. The one with the toy is playful, like Dylan wants. And the little one is cute and fluffy, like Brooke wants," Gabbi tells her siblings. She points to each dog as she describes it.

* * *

Brooke gasps and jumps up and down. "I want to meet the fluffy one!" she squeals excitedly.

Beck and Jade ask another one of the employees to take out the Pomeranian for Brooke. The employee brings the family to a separate room. The room is used for people to meet the dogs that they might be interested in adopting.

The employee gives Beck and Jade information on the fluffy puppy. They learn that the Pomeranian is six month old female with no name.

The fluffy puppy heads straight to Brooke. She nuzzles the small girl's hand, then licks it.

* * *

Nolan and Dylan don't have any interest in the little ball of fluff, so they ask if they can meet the Rottweiler and Golden Retriever. Jade stays with Brooke as she plays with the tiny Pomeranian, while Beck goes with his sons to meet the other dogs. Another employee takes Nolan, Dylan, and Beck to a different room. She leaves and comes back with the two bigger dogs. She introduces and starts talking about each dog after she sets them down on the ground in front of Beck, Dylan, and Nolan.

The family learns that the Rottweiler is a male, who is about six months old. They are told that the Golden Retriever is also a male, and he is around the same age as the other one. Neither of them have names yet.

The Golden Retriever bounds over to the group. He jumps up on Dylan and covers the boy's face in tiny licks. He and Dylan engage in a friendly game of tug-of-war with the length of rope that the employee brought.

The Rottweiler is more wary than its friend. He eyes the group cautiously, before deciding that they don't pose any threats. He jogs over to Nolan and Beck. They hold out their hands for the puppy to sniff. The puppy carefully sniffs them, then relaxes. He curiously gives each of their hands a lick. He lets Beck and Nolan pet him as he starts to warm up around them.

* * *

Since the Pomeranian is mainly focused on Brooke, Gabbi stands off to the side. She asks Jade if she can look around more. Jade gives her daughter permission, but tells her not to be disruptive and to be careful.

Gabbi assures her mother that she'll behave, and she leaves the room. She passes by the kennel that had the four puppies in it. The sad little Pitbull is the only one in it now. It hasn't moved sicne she last saw it. She gives it a sympathetic look, before moving on. She wanders around the shelter, looking at canines of all different sizes, breeds, and ages. She finds lots of cute puppies, but she keeps finding herself straying back to the Pitbull. She observes the puppy, wondering if it's still alive. She sees it breathe out a depressed sigh. She breathes out a sigh too, but this is a sigh of relief because the pup is still alive.

"Hi," Gabbi gently calls out to the puppy.

The Pitbull lifts its head off the ground for a moment, but doesn't turn around.

Gabbi flags down an employee named Cole. She asks if she can meet the puppy. Since the all of the Pitbull's friends are being played with, Cole just takes Gabbi into the kennel. As Cole enters the kennel, he talks to Gabbi about the puppy.

"He doesn't have a name. He's five and a half months old. He and his buddies were found together during a puppy mill raid. They were huddled together, separate from the other dogs. The owner of the puppy mill wanted to get rid of them because they were the runts of their litters. We haven't had the heart to separate them. They've been here since they were only a few weeks old," Cole tells Gabbi. He gently scoops the puppy into his arms and kneels down in front of the child.

Gabbi gasps softly. "That's so sad," she comments, holding her hand out towards the puppy. The pup eyeballs the girl suspiciously.

"What's even sadder is the fact that this little guy doesn't have much time left," Cole says. Gabbi asks what he means. The puppy sniffs her hand and lets her stroke his soft fur. "The shelter is going to put him down if we can't find him a home in three days. They figure that nobody wants him, and we need more space for incoming dogs," Cole tells Gabbi.

By now, the puppy is a lot less apprehensive and a lot more comfortable around Gabbi. Gabbi giggles as the pup licks her cheek. She continues petting his head. "Why wouldn't anyone want him? He's so cute and friendly!" she exclaims.

Cole shifts the puppy in his arms, changing the position that he's in. Now Gabbi sees why someone wouldn't want the pup. He only has three legs. His entire front right leg is missing.

"The conditions are the puppy mill that he and his friends were found at were horrible. He cut open his front right paw on a broken wire of the cage that he and his friends were kept in. Because of his unsanitary surroundings, he picked up a nasty infection. By the time we found him, it spread through his entire leg. The vet had to amputate his leg, so the infection wouldn't spread any further. He made a full recovery, and he's adapted really well to the loss of his leg. Though once people see him, they assume that he's damaged goods. No one wants to take the time to meet him and learn about him. If they did, they'd learn that he really isn't any different than his four-legged companions. I think he's depressed because people laugh at him, while they gush over his friends. You're the first person that's actually taken any real interest in him," Cole explains to Gabbi.

The puppy squirms in Cole's arms, wanting to get down and play with Gabbi. Cole sets him down in front of the small girl. The pup hobbles over to Gabbi, who kneels down to pet him. The two share an instant connection. The puppy's formerly uneasy disposition has faded into a playfully jovial attitude. He runs around Gabbi excitedly, stopping every few seconds to sniff her. It's like he's trying to make sure that she's real and that she won't disappear. While Gabbi plays with the little Pitbull, she and Cole engage in a conversation about dogs.

* * *

Two employees come back to the kennel with the other three dogs. The rest of Gabbi's family follows behind them. They are having a debate over which puppy to adopt.

"I want this one," Gabbi tells her parents. Beck and Jade look at the Pitbull. Gabbi's siblings also look at the puppy. The first thing that everyone notices is the pup's missing leg.

"Ew! Why!?" Brooke questions. She points to the Pitbull puppy, who shrinks back with his head hanging sadly. "It only has three legs!" she states.

Gabbi quickly covers the pup's ear. "I don't care how many legs he has! He's nice and friendly, and I really love him!" she tells her twin sister. She turns to her parents. She looks into their eyes with sheer desperation. "Please, mommy and daddy! He's not that different any other dog! Cole told me that his dog only has three legs, and he said he pretty much takes care of his dog the same way he'd take care of a four-legged dog! No one wants him! The shelter's given up on him. They're going to kill him if he isn't adopted within three days! Please!" Gabbi pleads.

Beck and Jade look at each other, then they look back at their daughter, who is almost in tears. She has her arms protectively wrapped around the puppy. Beck bites his lip, trying to think of something to say.

"Honey…" Jade begins, unsure of how to continue.

"Cole told me the shelter doesn't want to separate him from his friends. We can get all four puppies, then everyone will be happy!" Gabbi tells her family. Nolan, Dylan, and Brooke's faces light up. They turn to their parents, their faces full of hope. Even the puppies have hope written all over their faces. "Pleeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssseeeeeee!" they beg.

Beck and Jade look at each other again. They know that they definitely have more than enough space in their home for four fully grown dogs, and they know that they have all of the financial resources needed to own four dogs. They know that their kids are extremely responsible and willing to help around the house too. Without even having to say a word, Jade and Beck come to their decision.

Beck sighs. He runs a hand through his fluffy hair. "We have one condition," he tells his kids calmly. Nolan, Dylan, Brooke, and Gabbi look at their parents eagerly. "You must promise that you'll help take care of them. Your father and I have no problem with bringing these dogs right back here if we ended up being the only ones caring for them," Jade says seriously. The kids genuinely assure their parents that they promise to help take care of the dogs. Beck and Jade smile at their children. "Well, it looks like we have four new dogs," Jade says. The kids cheer happily and hug their parents tightly, thanking them over and over again.


	14. A New Family Member: Part 3

**A New Family Member: Four Kids, Four Dogs**

The Oliver-West family goes on a shopping excursion to pick up supplies for their new family members

* * *

Cole and three employees take the four puppies away to get them ready for the Oliver-West family to take home.

Beck, Jade, and the children go back out to the front desk to adopt the puppies. They sign forms and pay adoption fees with the lady at the front desk, while their kids excitedly pick out collars and leashes from the display that an employee shows them.

Once each child picks out a leash and collar, they tell the employee which ones they picked. The employee takes the collars and leashes to the back, and the kids are called over to the front desk by their parents.

* * *

"Kids, your new dogs need names," Beck says. He lets the children brainstorm names, while he and Jade continue signing documents.

Gabbi is the first one to choose a name. "I want to name my doggie 'Lucky' because I feel lucky to have met him. And because he's lucky that he won't be killed since we're adopting him," she tells her parents. Beck and Jade approve of the name, and they tell the lady that's dealing with the adoption paperwork.

The next child to choose a name is Brooke. "I chose the name 'Princess Sparkle Puff' because she looks like a princess, and she's fluffy," she whispers to Beck while Jade is distracted with signing something. She only told her father because she doesn't think that her mother would like the name. Beck quickly tells the lady, before Jade even looks up from the document that she's signing.

A few minutes after Brooke, Dylan picks a name. "'Zippy,'" is all he tells his parents. He doesn't offer an explanation for why he chose this name. He just tells them, "Zippy." Beck and Jade shrug and relay this back to the paperwork lady.

Nolan takes the longest to choose a name. "I can't decide whether I like the name 'Scout' or 'Boomer' better," he announces. He asks his parents for help, but they tell him that they like both names. He asks his siblings which name they prefer, and they finally decide on "Scout."

Once names are chosen and all the documents are signed, the puppies are brought out.

* * *

One employee comes out holding Scout. He is wearing the red leather studded collar that Nolan picked out. Two tags are attached to the collar. The first one is a silver diamond. It has Scout's name and Beck and Jade's phone numbers engraved on it. The second tag is a plain silver circle that just indicates that the puppy is up-to-date on all of his shots. All four dogs have this tag attached to their collars. When Jade sees the collar around the pup's neck, she tells her son that he has excellent taste in dog collars, then they fist-bump. The employee clips a matching red leather leash onto Scout's collar, then she sets him down and hands the leash to Nolan. She congratulates him the adoption of his new friend.

A second employee comes out with Zippy, who is enthusiastically pulling on his leash. Zippy wears a plain brown leather collar that matches his leash. Attached to his collar are two circular gold tags. One has his name and Beck and Jade's contact information, and the other states that he's had all of his vaccinations. He tries to run towards Dylan, while the employee tries to hold him back. Zippy jumps up on Dylan and licks his hand. Dylan is handed Zippy's leash, and he is congratulated.

A third employee comes out holding Princess Sparkle Puff. The pup holds her head up high with an air of regality. She has a sparkly pink nylon collar around her neck. The buckle of her collar is encrusted with tiny silver rhinestones. The pink heart-shaped tag on her collar lists her name and Beck and Jade's contact information. The other tag is identical to Scout's silver vaccine tag. On top of her head, a small sprig of Princess Sparkle Puff's fur is fastened with a small rubber band and adorned with a sparkly pink bow. The employee clips a red and pink heart-printed leash onto the pup's collar and hands her to Brooke, who is shaking with excitement. Brooke is congratulated too.

Finally, Cole comes out with Lucky, who is bounding towards Gabbi. Lucky's light green collar is made of nylon, and it has darker green four leaf clovers printed on it. His identification tag is green and clover-shaped, and he has the same gold vaccine tag that Zippy has. He nearly bowls Gabbi over when he comes up to her. Cole and Gabbi high five, glad that they saved Lucky from being euthanized. Cole clips Lucky's dark green nylon leash to his collar, then hands him over to Gabbi. He congratulates and thanks her for saving Lucky.

Beck, Jade, and the kids thank the shelter staff, before picking up the puppies' records and adoption certificates. Beck carries the files, and the kids walk their dogs to the car. Brooke refuses to let Princess Sparkle Puff's paws touch the ground, so she insists on carrying the puppy to the car. Not wanting her daughter to drop her new companion, Jade convinces Brooke to let her bring the pup to the car. Brooke agrees to hold onto her puppy's leash.

Beck and Jade help their children and dogs situate themselves in the backseat of the minivan. Brooke and Gabbi sit in the first row of seats in the back. Princess Sparkle Puff sits on Brooke's lap, and Lucky sits in the seat between the twins. Nolan and Dylan sit in the back row of seats. Zippy sits in between the brothers, and Scout settles down on the floor at Nolan's feet. Once everyone is situated and buckled in, Beck and Jade get into their seats. Beck sits in the driver's seat, while Jade takes a seat next to him in the passenger's seat. Beck hands his wife the documents from the animal shelter as he puts his key into the ignition.

Jade looks through the papers, organizing them, as her husband starts the car and drives to the pet store.

* * *

_**Name: Scout**_

_**Gender: Male**_

_**Breed: Rottweiler**_

_**Age: 6 months**_

_**Height: 24 inches**_

_**Weight: 65 pounds**_

_**Color(s): Black with brown on the chest, legs, and face**_

_**Adopted by: The Oliver-West Family**_

_**Date of Adoption: August 5th**_

* * *

_**Name: Zippy**_

_**Gender: Male**_

_**Breed: Golden Retriever**_

_**Age: 6 months**_

_**Height: 22 inches**_

_**Weight: 52 pounds**_

_**Color(s): Medium Gold**_

_**Adopted by: The Oliver-West Family**_

_**Date of Adoption: August 5th**_

* * *

_**Name: Princess Sparkle Puff**_

_**Gender: Female**_

_**Breed: Pomeranian**_

_**Age: 6 months**_

_**Height: 6 inches**_

_**Weight: 3 pounds**_

_**Color(s): Cream**_

_**Adopted by: The Oliver-West Family**_

_**Date of Adoption: August 5th**_

* * *

_**Name: Lucky**_

_**Gender: Male**_

_**Breed: Pitbull**_

_**Age: 5 months**_

_**Height: 15 inches**_

_**Weight: 38 pounds**_

_**Color(s): White**_

_**Adopted by: The Oliver-West Family**_

_**Date of Adoption: August 5th**_

* * *

"Beck! You let our daughter name her dog 'Princess Sparkle Puff!?'" Jade exclaims as she reads the Pomeranian's adoption certificate.

Beck shrugs. "It's not that big of a deal," he tells Jade. Jade lets out an exasperated sigh. She grits her teeth and turns towards her husband with a fake smile plastered on her face, so the kids don't get suspicious. "Beck, I don't want to be seen walking around with a little rat-dog named 'Princess Sparkle Puff!'" she quietly states. Beck just chuckles and tells his wife to "let it go." Jade frowns at her husband.

Jade turns around and faces the backseat. She smiles at her children. "Brooke, honey, are you sure you want to call your puppy 'Princess Sparkle Puff?'" she asks. Brooke smiles back and nods happily, "Yup!" She proudly pats the pup's head. "It's kind of a mouthful, don't you think?" Jade says. Brooke thinks about her mother's statement for a moment. She shrugs. "I'll just call her 'Princess' when I don't feel like using her full name," she tells her mother. Satisfied, Jade turns around.

Beck chuckles again. Jade playfully swats his arm. "Hey! I got her to drop two names! Maybe I can get her to just call the dog 'Puff'…" she says. Beck smirks and shakes his head.

* * *

When they arrive at the pet store, Beck and Jade help their kids with their dogs.

"If your dog starts pulling on the leash and you don't think that you can control them, just drop the leash. I don't care where you are or what you're doing, just drop it and get me or daddy to help you," Jade tells her children. This is mainly directed at Nolan, Dylan, and Gabbi, each of whom is handling a puppy that weighs more than they do. Jade isn't too concerned about Brooke and Princess because Brooke is more than ten times the weight of the three pound pup.

"Moooom! We know! You told us that like five times in the car!" Nolan sasses, rolling his eyes. Jade shoots her oldest son a look, and he stops giving her attitude. Beck pats his wife on the back. "Relax, babe. The people at the shelter trained these dogs really well. I'm sure the kids can handle them," he tells Jade.

Jade looks at her kids, who all happen to be on the smaller, skinnier side. Then, she looks at the dogs, who are contently sitting next to their new owners. "I just don't want one of our kids getting their arm ripped off or being dragged around the store because their puppy is yanking the leash," she states. Both Nolan and Dylan roll their eyes. They sigh boredly. "Mooooom! That's not gonna happen. Can we just go into the store now?" Dylan whines. Jade shoots her sons another look, and they step behind their dogs.

The family makes a list of the things that they need to get. Once the list is complete, Beck and the boys challenge Jade and the girls to a race. They challenge them to see who can gather all the items on the list first. Jade and her daughters take the boys up on their challenge, and the family's race begins the second they enter the store.

* * *

Beck, the boys, and the dogs make a beeline for the food aisle after they grab a shopping cart. They hunt down the brand of food that the shelter had recommended. They work together to place three large bags of kibble on the bottom of their cart. Once they check food off their list, they venture off to the toy aisle.

Jade also gets a shopping cart. Brooke requests to ride in the cart, so Jade places her and Princess in the basket part. The girls head straight to the toy aisle. Jade picks out toys for the puppies to chew on, while Gabbi and Lucky test and pick out squeaky toys. Brooke and Princess pick out plush toys. They pick out one chewing toy, one squeaky toy, and one plush toy for each dog. They put the dogs in front of the toy display to see if any toys catch the dogs' eyes. Lucky picks out a stuffed green frog toy that has a squeaker in the middle of it. Princess picks out a long pink stuffed roll that also has a squeaker in it. After they cross toys off their list, the girls go to the food aisle.

Beck lets his sons and their puppies run around the toy aisle to let the dogs choose their own toys. After five minutes, Nolan and Scout come back to the cart. Nolan is carrying a large red Kong toy, a squeaky tennis ball, a stuffed raccoon, and a pack of rubber bones for Scout to chew on. He drops them into the cart. Dylan and Zippy come back a few minutes after Nolan and Scout. Dylan throws a rope toy, a handheld ball thrower, three tennis balls, and a plastic Frisbee into the cart. With two items now crossed off their list, the boys head to the grooming aisle.

Jade drags two heavy bags of dog food off of the shelf. She puts them on the bottom part of the cart, then she and the girls go to the treat aisle because it's right next to the food aisle. In the treat aisle, Jade takes Brooke and Princess out of the cart. She lets the girls roam around with their puppies, so they pick out treats that appeal to their dogs. Lucky and Princess sniff around, stopping when they find something that interests them. Brooke and Princess return to the cart first. She places a box of Milkbones, a bag of Snausages, and a bag of freeze-dried liver treats into the cart. Gabby and Lucky come back as Brooke is placing her last item into the cart. Gabbi puts two rawhide bones, a bag of Pig Ears, a bag of jerky treats, and a box of dental sticks into the cart. When Gabbi places her last item in the cart, the girls make their last stop: the grooming aisle.

Not having a lot of expertise in the area of dog grooming, the guys just grab a comb and the first bottle they see that says "shampoo." Then, they rush off to the treat aisle.

As Jade pushes the cart into the grooming aisle, Brooke plucks a wire brush off the shelf for Princess. Gabbi gets a soft-bristled brush, and Jade picks out shampoo and conditioner. She chooses a large bottle of shampoo and a large bottle of conditioner, both in the "Hibiscus Medley" scent. With everything checked off their list, Jade tries to head to the checkout, but Brooke and Gabbi get distracted by the display of dog clothing.

Beck uses the same approach in the treat aisle that he used in the toy aisle. He lets the dogs sniff and pick which treats they find the most appealing. The guys leave the treat aisle after Milkbones, rawhide chews, Snausages, and bones are placed in the cart. They high five once everything is crossed off their list. Then, they make a mad dash to one of the checkout counters.

Jade and the girls are at the checkout counter next to the boys. She and the girls are already halfway through their purchases when Beck and the boys arrive.

* * *

Once both group finish their purchases, they head back out to the car. The kids help their parents load all of the dogs' new stuff into the trunk of the minivan.

"We totally beat you, even after we stopped to get the dogs clothes!" Jade announces victoriously. She turns around and high fives both of her daughters.

Beck raises an eyebrow. "You got the dogs clothes?" he questions. Gabbi and Brooke nod happily.

"I got my puppy a princess costume!" Brooke tells everyone.

"And I got mine a tutu!" Gabbi adds.

All of the boys roll their eyes.

* * *

When they arrive back at their house, Beck, Jade, and their kids take the dogs out. They let the dogs relieve themselves outside, before bringing them inside for a tour of the house.

While Beck and Jade set up the puppies' new beds and belongings, the kids show the dogs around the house. The puppies excitedly sniff around their new home.

After about thirty minutes, Jade calls her children down for dinner. She and Beck show their kids how to feed the dogs. While the kids were upstairs, they made a sign that said how much each dog eats and when they eat. They tell the kids to refer to the sign if they forget how much to feed their puppies.

Once the dogs are fed, the people sit down to eat.

* * *

After dinner, the kids help Beck and Jade with the dishes, then the family goes down to the basement to watch a movie together.

The kids choose to watch _101 Dalmatians_, which Beck and Jade think is totally appropriate for their new living situation.

Beck and Jade make a "No Dogs on the Furniture" rule, then the family piles onto the three couches in the basement.

Beck puts the movie's DVD in and sits back down on the couch next to Jade. He clicks a few buttons on a remote, starting the movie.

Against her parents' wishes, Brooke lets Princess stay on the couch with her. She hides the pooch under her blanket. Gabbi lays on the floor with her head resting on Lucky, who is laying on his side. Scout stands on the left side the couch that Nolan and Dylan are on. He places his head on top of the armrest, whining. Nolan strokes the puppy's head, quieting him. Zippy keeps jumping onto Beck and Jade's couch. Everytime they push him off, he hops right back on, thinking that they're playing a game with him.

The "No Dogs on the Furniture" rule lasts for twenty-seven minutes.

By the time they're thirty minutes into the movie, Lucky and Gabbi are asleep on the floor, Princess and Brooke are snuggled up under a blanket, Scout is sitting between Nolan and Dylan on their couch, and Zippy is laying on his back in Beck and Jade's laps, while Beck absentmindedly scratches his tummy.

Everyone watches the movie, enjoying the company of their new companions before going to bed.


	15. Camping: Part 1

**Camping: Day 1**

André, Beck, and Robbie take their sons on their annual three-day summer camping trip.

* * *

"Mom, I can't find my hiking boots!" 7-year-old Dylan announces, looking through his closet.

"They're in the garage," Jade tells her son as she walks into his room with a laundry basket full of clean, folded clothing. Dylan thanks his mother, then jogs downstairs. He heads into the garage and finds his hiking boots. He places them on his feet and laces them up, before entering his house again.

Dylan walks back up to his room and grabs his backpack/duffel bag. He struggles to lift it, so he grabs a strap and tries to drag it. Zippy the Golden Retriever, who is sitting on Dylan's bed, notices the struggling boy. He jumps off the bed and grabs the other strap with his teeth. Together, Dylan and Zippy manage to drag the heavy bag out of the bedroom, through the hall, and to the top of the stairs.

"Thanks, Zip!" Dylan says, patting the dog on the head. He holds up his hand, and Zippy jumps up and hits it with his paw.

In the few months that Dylan's had Zippy, he's taught him how to high five people and do several other tricks. By now, Zippy has grown into his full adult size. He's twenty-four inches at the shoulder, and he weighs seventy pounds.

Dylan looks at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing that the coast is clear, he pushes his duffel backpack down the stairs. It rolls down the steps and lands with a loud thud.

Hearing the commotion, Jade races out of her room. "Honey, are you okay!? Did you fall?" she questions worriedly, running to her son. She meets Dylan at the top of the steps. Dylan points to his bag at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm fine, mom. I just pushed my bag down the stairs because it's too heavy to carry," he tells his concerned mother. Jade releases a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. I thought you hurt yourself. Don't scare me like that!" she says to her son, before returning to what she was doing.

* * *

Dylan and Zippy meet Beck and Nolan in the kitchen. They are currently raiding the pantry, looking for nonperishable foods to pack.

Today is the day that Beck, Robbie, André, and their sons are going on their annual three-day summer camping trip.

André will come over to the Oliver-West house in ten minutes, so they can leave for the trip together.

* * *

Beck helps his sons pile their heavy bags by the front door. He goes over the packing list that he gave to his sons, making sure that they have everything they need. Assured that his sons packed what they need, Beck starts putting sunscreen and bug spray on himself and his boys.

When he sees André walking up his driveway, Beck tells his sons to put leashes on their dogs.

Nolan clips a red leather leash onto his Rottweiler's studded collar. Scout, who is now fully grown, waits patiently with Nolan and Beck. Dylan and Zippy engage in a quick, playful chase, before they come back to the front door. Jade, Brooke, and Gabbi come downstairs and stay with the boys until they leave.

* * *

Beck opens his door before André even has a chance to ring the doorbell. He greets his best friend, and says goodbye to Jade, Brooke, and Gabbi. Then, the two grab some bags and head over to the Harris-Vega residence, which happens to be next door.

"Remember to take a bath! I packed a bar of soap for each of you," Jade tells her sons. The boys roll their eyes and groan. "Mooom! We're men! We don't need soap!" Nolan states very matter-of-factly. Dylan steps forward. "Yeah!" he adds in support. He and Nolan fist-bump, then they cross their arms, looking very pleased with themselves. Jade clears her throat. "You may be men, but that doesn't mean you have to smell like men!" she quips. Brooke and Gabbi step forward. "Yeah!" they add in support. Jade fist bumps her daughters, and the three of them cross their arms, imitating Nolan and Dylan.

The boys roll their eyes again. "Okaaaayyy, fiiiiiiiineee," Nolan tells Jade, dragging out every vowel. Jade smiles. She kisses each of her sons on the forehead and tell them that she loves them.

Nolan and Dylan say goodbye to their mother, each giving her a kiss on the cheek and telling her they love her. They hug their little sisters goodbye, then they take the dogs over to André's house.

* * *

Nolan, Dylan, and Robbie's 8-year-old son, Keegan, perform their secret three-way handshake when they meet up in André's driveway.

"Are you totally pumped!?" Nolan exclaims loudly to Keegan.

"Oh yeah, I'm pumped!" Keegan exclaims in reply to his best friend.

The two boys high five each other.

"This is going to be the chiz!" Dylan squeals.

Nolan and Keegan turn to Dylan. "So, what exactly is 'chiz'?" Keegan asks. Nolan and Dylan both shrug. "Uncle André says it's a type of German sausage," Dylan answers.

* * *

Beck, André, and Robbie finish packing bags into André's station wagon, then they close the trunk. André runs into his house to say goodbye to Tori and Eden and to grab his 1-year-old Labradoodle, Curly.

André's 6-year-old son, Caleb, and Robbie's youngest son, 5-year-old Alex, are already strapped into their carseats in the back of the car. Robbie sits in between them, and the three boys pile into the back with the dogs. Beck sits in the passenger seat, and André drives.


	16. Camping: Part 2

**Camping: The Nature Park**

Day 1/3: the boys arrive at the nature park and begin their camping adventure

* * *

After driving for half an hour in the car, André pulls into the parking lot of the nature park. He quickly finds a spot and parks in it.

Once the station wagon is parked, everyone gets out, and André pops the trunk open. While the Robbie, and André are getting bags out of the car, the kids take the dogs over to an area where they can relieve themselves. Beck goes into a building to check in and get directions to the campsite.

* * *

When Beck returns to the group, the kids and dogs are back as well. He gives everyone a map and a compass. Everyone picks up their bags, and André closes the trunk and locks his car. Then, they make their way to the campsite.

* * *

After a two mile hike, the gang makes it to the campsite.

When they find a spot to pitch their tents, everyone drops their heavy bags onto the ground. Beck puts Nolan, Dylan, and Keegan in charge of setting up their tent, while he helps set up the one he, Robbie, André, Caleb, and Alex will be staying in.

"Okay...how do you do this...?" Nolan asks, looking at the instructions. He tilts the instruction manual at different angles, trying to figure what to do. Keegan look over his shoulder and reads the directions printed on the manual. Dylan starts taking the tent parts out of the canvas part that is holding them. He lays each piece on the ground, then looks at the manual with Nolan and Keegan.

Once they have an idea of what they're supposed to be doing, the kids get to work. Nolan and Dylan maneuver and attach different parts together as Keegan reads them the instructions.

Several failed attempts later, the three finally have their tent pitched. They out their stuff inside of it, then they go over to their fathers, who are almost finished pitching his own tent next to theirs.

The tent that their dads are working on is huge. It has two rooms. The adults will sleep in one room, while Caleb and Alex will sleep in the one next to them.

After Beck, André, and Robbie have their tent set up, they put their belongings inside of it. Caleb and Alex also put their belongings inside of the tent.

"Okay, we're going on a hike to the lake, so we can go fishing!" Beck announces. "Bring only what you absolutely need, so you don't have to lug around a ton of stuff in your bags."

Everyone goes back to their tents to pack a backpack.

Beck packs his phone, his portable charger and charging cable, a first aid kit, a map, animal mace, snacks, water, a rain poncho, and a flashlight in his backpack.

André packs his phone, a flashlight, snacks, water, a whistle, an air horn, a Swiss Army knife, a rain poncho, a collapsible bowl for the dogs, and bandages in his backpack.

Robbie packs his phone, his camera, snacks, water, a back-up pair of glasses, sunscreen, bug spray, lotion, and a rain poncho in his backpack.

Keegan packs his phone, his portable charger and charging cable, an air horn, a rain poncho, snacks, water, tissues, and sunglasses in his backpack.

Nolan packs his phone, a whistle, a rain poncho, snacks, water, his selfie stick, a flashlight, batteries, and a yard of rope in his backpack.

Dylan packs his phone, another map, a compass, snacks, water, and a rain poncho in his backpack.

Caleb and Alex both pack their phones, teddy bears, snacks, water, flashlights, and whistles in their backpacks.

When everyone is packed and ready to go, the group heads for one of the trails. Nolan, Dylan, and Keegan walk the dogs, and André, Robbie, and Beck carry the fishing supplies.

* * *

As the guys start walking on a dirt path, Robbie clips something around his waist. Beck and André hear him doing this and they look at him.

"A fanny pack?" André asks, trying to contain his smirk. Beck lets out a small giggle.

"It's a first aid kit!" Robbie tells his friends as he adjusts his fanny pack .

The kids giggle.

Keegan looks at his father in horror. "Oh my god! Dad! Take it off!" he whines through gritted teeth. Much to his sons's chagrin, Robbie refuses, and Keegan tells him that he doesn't want to be _that _kid — "the kid whose father wears a fanny pack." Robbie sighs and eventually takes his fanny pack off and puts it into his backpack.

The group walks past several other tents before they get to the part of the trail that's in the forrest.

The kids let their dogs off their leashes because they know the dogs won't run away. The dogs sniff around and chase each other happily.

Beck, Robbie, and André walk together quietly, enjoying their beautiful surroundings. Caleb and Alex walk with their fathers, making up songs about what they see. Nolan, Dylan, and Keegan walk ahead of everyone else, but they make sure to stay within their fathers' view.

Nolan takes out his phone and attaches it to the end of his selfie stick. He, Keegan, and Dylan stop in the middle of the trail to take a selfie. They resume walking once they're satisfied with the picture that Nolan takes. They continue doing this every couple of minutes, falling behind, before Beck eventually confiscates his oldest son's selfie stick.

Now selfie stick-less the boys go back to the front of the group and walk ahead of everyone else again. The dogs walk next to them.

* * *

After about twenty minutes, the group takes a break. They stop walking and sit down on some large rocks to rest. They continue their hike seven minutes later.

They walk on the trail for about thirty more minutes until they reach the lake.

The adults show a park ranger their fishing permits, before they take out their rods.

The kids and dogs run around, exploring the lake together, while their fathers take out their fishing supplies.

When they have their fishing supplies set up, the fathers call the kids over. The kids coming running back with the dogs following close behind them.

"You're going to have to share, but these fishing rods should work for you," Robbie says, distributing child-sized rods to Caleb and Dylan. He shows them how to string the fishing line through the rods. Beck shows them how to attach the hook and bait, and André teaches them how to cast their lines.

Robbie, Beck, and André pick up their own rods and cast them. The kids take turns trying to fish.

"Daddy, when will I catch a fish?" Caleb asks, looking at André.

"You just have to be patient," André responds to his son.

Caleb groans in annoyance. Five minutes later, he feels a quick tug. "DADDY! A FISH BIT MY HOOK!" he screams excitedly. André praises his son, then tells him to be quiet, so he won't scare the fish away. He helps Caleb reel in his line. A small fish is flopping around on the end of Caleb's rod. André proudly high fives his son and takes a picture of Caleb and the fish to send to Tori. He shows Caleb how to detach the fish from the hook and release it. "Bye, fishy!" Caleb says as he watches the fish swim away. He hands the fishing rod to Alex, so his friend can have a turn.

"This is suckish," Dylan complains. Keegan and Nolan nod in agreement. No fish have taken their bait. Dylan gives Keegan the rod and sits on a rock next to Nolan. They hear an excited shriek and turn towards the direction it came from. They see Alex jumping up and down as a tiny fish dangles from his rod. Robbie snaps a picture and sends it to Cat. He and Alex fist-bump, then they release it back into the water.

Keegan sighs in frustration and gives up, handing the rod to Nolan, who also gives up a short while later.

By the time they finish fishing, it's getting late. André has four fish that he caught, Beck also has four fish that he caught, and Robbie has two fish that he caught. They are going to cook the fish for dinner.

* * *

Back at the campsite, Beck and André have the unpleasant task of skinning and gutting their fish. They complete this task far away, so they won't stink up the campsite. Robbie is put in charge of starting a fire in the portable fire pit that he brought. The kids and dogs rest in their tents.

Beck and André return a little while later with all ten fish skinned and gutted. Robbie and the kids sit around the fire, chatting. When he sees his friends return, Robbie grabs a metal frying pan, metal plates, and metal utensils from his tent. André, being the best cook in the group, is put in charge of cooking the fish.

* * *

By the time everyone is finished eating their dinner, it is completely dark outside. The kids help their fathers wash the dishes and utensils, then they feed the dogs.

Beck gets metal skewers and two bags of marshmallows from his duffel bag. André grabs chocolate and graham crackers from his duffel bag. Beck gives everyone a skewer and sets the marshmallows in front of his tent. The kids drop their skewers on the logs that they sat on during dinner, then excitedly race to the marshmallow bags. They grab as many marshmallows as they can, before racing back to their skewers.

Once everyone has marshmallows on their skewers, Caleb and Alex pretend to sword fight with each other.

Keegan shares a log with Nolan and Dylan, and the three hold their marshmallows over the fire. The adults help Caleb and Alex roast their marshmallows.

The older boys make s'mores and talk to each other while they eat. The dogs sit obediently at their feet, hoping that someone with drop food.

The younger boys are more interested in making their marshmallows catch on fire than actually eating them.

Once they finish their s'mores, the older boys make s'mores for the adults, who are too busy making sure Caleb and Alex aren't going to hurt themselves in the fire. The adults thank Keegan, Nolan, and Dylan, before devouring their delicious treats.

After everyone is finished with making s'mores, the adults wash and put away the skewers and ingredients, and André grabs his guitar. When they come back, the kids are singing the Campfire Song Song from _SpongeBob_, and the dogs are howling along. The adults chuckle and secretly film their kids. They send the video they took to their wives, before joining their kids around the fire. The groups sings while André strums fun melodies on his guitar.

When André stops playing, he puts his guitar away. The older boys suggest that someone should tell a scary story. The adults try to talk them out of it because they don't want anyone getting too scared, but the kids relentlessly assure their fathers that they won't get scared. Eventually, the adults concede and let them tell one story as long as it isn't too frightening.

Nolan, Keegan, and Dylan run into their tents to get their flashlights. The stand in front of the fire. André sits on the other side of the fire, facing the older boys, with Caleb on his lap. Alex sits on his father's lap next to André, and Beck sits next to Robbie.

Nolan switches his flashlight on. "Once upon a time a group of boys went camping, just like us..." he begins. He holds his flashlight under his chin, so it casts spooky shadows across his face. He switches his flashlight off when he stops speaking.

Keegan switches his flashlight on and holds it under his chin the same way that Nolan held his. "They heard howling in the night, but they didn't think much of it. Little did they know..." he continues, picking up where Nolan left off. He switches his flashlight off.

Dylan switches his flashlight on, holding it under his chin. "...that the howling they were hearing was coming from the mysterious WereBear. It—" he says, before Alex cuts him off.

"What's a WereBear?" Alex questions.

Dylan shines his flashlight on Alex. "I was getting to that," he answers. He turns his flashlight back to himself and continues.

"The WereBear is a rare and vicious creature. It's half bear and half werewolf. The left side of it looks like a werewolf, and the right side looks like a grizzly bear. It's double the size of the average bear, and it massive teeth and claws. They're only active at night..." he tells everyone. He switches his flashlight off.

Nolan switches his flashlight back on and continues the story.

The boys alternate as they tell the entire story, switching their flashlights on or off when they start or stop speaking.

As the story ends, Dylan and Nolan creep up behind Beck, Robbie, André, Caleb, and Alex, who are all so engrossed in the story that they didn't notice them. The story ends with the group of campers getting dismembered or eaten alive by pack of WereBears. When Keegan says the last line of the story, Dylan and Nolan softly dig their nails into everyone's backs, howling like rabid wolves. Everyone jumps up and screams, while Keegan, Dylan, and Nolan crack up. They high five each other.

"D-Daddy, WereBears aren't real, r-r-right?" a terrified Alex asks. Robbie shakes his head and tells his son that WereBears are just made up. Alex relaxes the tiniest bit. Caleb's eyes are widened in fear. He is trembling as André tried to tell him that the story is just make-believe.

Beck takes the older boys to their tent to reprimand them for scaring everyone.

"We told you that the story couldn't be too scary!" Beck scolds. The boys shrug and look at him. They're making awkward faces because they're trying to hold in their laughter about scaring everyone at the end. Beck runs hand through his hair and sighs. "Where did you even hear this story?" he questions. Nolan tells his father that Jade told it to them when they were having a sleepover with Keegan a few weeks ago. Beck face-palms, wishing he'd asked about the story before letting them tell it. He makes the boys apologize for scaring the younger kids.

"I'm sorry we scared you," Keegan apologizes to Caleb and Alex, who are clinging onto each other for dear life. Nolan and Dylan apologize too, and the three are forgiven. The kids go to bed after the older boys' apologies.

* * *

Beck, Robbie, and André extinguish the fire, making sure to put out every last flame and spark, so they don't start a forrest fire. When they are certain that the fire is out, they go to bed too. Robbie checks on the older boys before going into his tent. They are already changed into their pajamas and asleep with the dogs laying at their feet. He checks on the younger boys, who are also changed and asleep. Curly, the Harris-Vega family's Labradoodle, lays between the boys. After checking on the kids Robbie goes into his room, and he, Beck, and André change into their pajamas. They crawl into their sleeping bags and quickly fall into a deep slumber.

* * *

When he hears Robbie snoring, Alex opens one eye. He looks around, then opens the other one. "Okay, they're asleep," he tells Caleb. He sits up and looks at his best friend.

Caleb sits up too. He looks at Alex. "We need to protect everyone from WereBears," he whispers. Alex nods in agreement. They make a plan to stay up all night, so they can warn everyone if they hear howling in the night. They crawl out of their sleeping bags and grab their flashlights from their backpacks. They sit back-to-back, clutching their teddy bears and surveying the inside of the tent for any shadows.

"We should get stuff to protect ourselves with," Caleb suggests.

"Good idea, but who will watch our tent?" Alex responds.

The two boys' eyes fall onto their stuffed bears and the dog, who is sleeping on his side.

"Teddy can take my place, and Beary can take your place while we find stuff. They're half WereBear, so maybe they can communicate with any WereBears that might come to our tent. They can tell them not to eat us. Plus, we have Curly, and he can bark if he notices anything," Caleb says. Alex gives him a thumbs-up. The two boys place their teddy bears in the spots that they are sitting in. Then, they wake Curly up and instruct him to guard the tent.

They grab their flashlights and tiptoe to the other room of the tent. Caleb stealthily unzips the canvas flap that divides the tent's rooms. He and Alex carefully step into the other room, making sure they don't wake anyone up. He heads over to his father's bags, and Alex does the same.

Caleb quietly opens André's duffel bag and puts the hand holding his flashlight inside. He turns the flashlight on, keeping the light in the bag. He rummages through André's things and takes out anything that could be remotely useful.

Alex chooses to blindly look through Robbie's duffel bag, afraid that the brightness of his flashlight with wake someone up. He pulls out whatever feels like it can protect him.

* * *

After a few minutes, the boys tiptoe back to their room and re-zip the canvas wall. Curly has gone back to sleep by the time they return.

They place their findings in the middle of the tent and shine their flashlights on the pile of objects.

"I took my daddy's whistle and air horn, so we can scare WereBears away with noise. I got his flashlight because it's heavy and made of metal, and we can throw it at a WereBear. I got two of the metal sticks that we used to make marshmallows with, one for you and one for me. We can use them as swords. And I got rope in case we need to tie up a WereBear," Caleb tells his friend. He points to each object when he talks about it.

"I got bug spray. It keeps bugs away, and they're scary, so it probably keeps other scary things away. Then, I got my daddy's fanny pack because it's ugly and heavy, and we can chuck it at a WereBear. I also took a can of spray able sunscreen. We can spray in the WereBear's eyes, and it smells good," Alex whispers.

They boys high five and move their items out of the way, so they can sit back-to-back in the middle again. They put their teddy bears on their laps and spread their objects out in front of them. Each boy holds a skewer and another object. Caleb holds the air horn, and Alex holds the bug spray. They keep their eyes glued to the walls of their tent, flinching at any sudden noises that they hear.


	17. Camping: Part 3

**Camping: Day 2**

Day 2/3: the second day of the boys' camping adventure

* * *

When Beck, André, and Robbie wake up, the first they do is check on the kids.

Caleb and Alex hear the adults moving around in the room next to them, and they turns towards the canvas wall that separates them, carefully staring at it. They watch the canvas become unzipped, and they see their fathers and Beck step into their room. They relax a little bit.

The adults look at the array of items that the boys have spread out.

"What is going on?" Robbie asks, glancing from Alex to Caleb.

"We wanted to protect ourselves from WereBears," Alex tells his father.

"Have you been up all night?" André questions.

The boys nod.

Beck, Robbie, and André face-palm. Beck signs and tells everyone that he's going to check on the older boys, while André and Robbie deal with their sons.

* * *

"Good morning!" Beck exclaims cheerfully as he unzips the canvas flap that closes the older boys' tent.

Scout and Zippy bark at Beck. They walk over to him and kick his face.

Nolan and Keegan groan and roll over in their sleeping bags. Dylan sits up and runs his eyes. He stretches, then says, "Good morning, Daddy!"

Beck carefully enters the tent, making sure he doesn't step on anyone or anything. He kneels between Nolan and Keegan and gently rubs their backs. "Come on, guys! It's time to get up! We have a big day planned!" he tells the boys. Nolan groans again and swats his father's hand away.

"What are we doing today?" Keegan mumbles, still half asleep.

"We're going paint balling, then we're going to the lake," Beck says.

As soon as Beck mentions paintball, the boys shoot out of their sleeping bags, scrambling over each to get ready. Beck smiles. He clips the dogs' leashes into their collars, so he can take them out to relieve themselves. Then, he leaves the boys' tent to deal with the dogs. He also takes André's Labradoodle, Curly, out to do his business.

* * *

When Beck comes back to the campsite with the dogs, he sees that André has already started a small blaze in the fire pit.

André is mixing water and instant pancake batter together. He spoons the mixture into a small skillet and starts cooking it.

Beck takes a seat next to his friend and the dogs sit next to their owners. He starts rooting through the cooler to find the powdered egg mix that was brought. He rips open the packet and dumps it into a different skillet. He uses water to rehydrate the eggs, then he grabs some vegetables from the cooler. He cuts up the vegetables, so he can put them in he omelette that he's making.

"Where's Robbie?" he asks.

André flips his pancake over the fire.

"We managed to convince them that WereBears aren't actually real, and they agreed to go to sleep. Robbie's staying with them until they fall asleep. He's gonna stay here with Caleb and Alex, while we go play paintball," he tells Beck.

Beck nods. He adds the diced vegetable bits to his skillet. He holds his skillet over the fire, cooking his omelette.

A few minutes later, André and Beck are joined by Nolan, Keegan, and Dylan, who are all fully dressed.

André finishes his cooking his pancake, which is big enough to enough, and slides it onto a plate for the boys. He hands Keegan a mini bottle of syrup from the cooler, and Beck hands the boys utensils. André starts making another pancake, while Beck finished his omelette.

"Your dad is gonna stay here with Caleb and Alex, while we play paint ball. Is that okay with you?" Beck asks Keegan.

Keegan nods and takes a bite of the pancake. He finishes chewing and swallowing before he says anything. "Yeah, I'm totally cool with that. Last time we played paintball, my dad ended up crying because my mom accidentally shot him. It was really embarrassing," he tells Beck.

Beck chuckles as he cuts up his omelette. He gives each boy a plate with a piece of omelette on it.

"This is the best breakfast ever!" Dylan exclaims, putting a piece of omelette into his mouth.

* * *

After breakfast, Beck feeds the dogs, and André brings Robbie a plate of food.

Keegan and Nolan make plates of food for Caleb and Alex. They put them in the cooler, so they stay fresh for when the younger boys wake up.

Nolan, Keegan, and Dylan sit around the fire, talking about paintball, while they wait for André and Beck to get dressed.

* * *

When Beck and André exit their tent, the group grabs their backpacks and heads to the paintball arena.

After a short twenty minute walk, André, Beck, Keegan, Nolan, and Dylan arrive at the paintball place. They go up the booth and reserve an arena. Beck and André sign several waivers, then the group is taken to a large wooden shack.

The shack houses the paintball equipment. A paintball employee introduces himself as Josh. He has everyone sit down and watch a short presentation on safety and how to use the equipment.

* * *

Once the instructional and safety presentation is over, Josh gives everyone their gear. Everyone receives a protective vest, a set of goggles, a pair of gloves, three pod packs of extra paintballs, and a pre-loaded paintball marker. They quickly put their gear on, then Josh leads them to the arena they reserved.

There are several parts in the nature park that are sectioned off for use as paintball arenas. The one that Beck, André, Nolan, Keegan, and Dylan are taken to is the size of two football fields. It has lots of space to run around, but it also has different structures of varying sizes that people can use to climb on or to take cover.

Josh sets a timer outside of the arena for one hour and thirty minutes. He tells everyone the rules, then he lets everyone loose in the arena, pressing the start button on the timer as he leaves.

* * *

André, Beck, Dylan, Nolan, and Keegan discuss how they want to play. They eventually come up with their own unique way to play paintball. If someone gets hit, they have to stand up and sing the chorus of any song from a musical that they choose. People can't hit anyone that's singing. After being hit five times, they're out. When they're out they have to go to the "Out Rock," so people know not to continue shooting at them. The game ends when there's only one person left.

* * *

When the rules of gameplay are all worked out, everyone takes cover.

André stands behind a large tree. Beck hides behind a wooden ramp. Dylan crouches behind a large rock. Nolan and Keegan make an alliance, and they hide in some bushes.

Beck and André count to three, then the group starts round one.

Everyone, except Nolan and Keegan charge from behind their hiding spots.

Dylan skillfully dodges one of Beck's paintballs. He runs away to hide again. Beck and André then aim for each other. They both hit one another in the chest with a colored paintball.

"Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men? It is the music of the people, who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes," Beck quickly sings.

"There is a castle of a cloud. I like to go there in my sleep. Aren't any floor for me to sweep, not in my castle on a cloud," André sings as fast as he can.

Nolan and Keegan keep their eyes locked on Beck and André. They abstain from shooting until they both finish singing. They aim their paintball guns and fire as soon as the last word leaves André and Beck's mouths, hitting the guys in the lower back. They run for a large rock, which they scoped out as their next hiding place. They don't bother to check if they actually hit Beck and André, but when they hear singing, they know that they did indeed hit them, and they high five.

"Don't cry for me Argentina. The truth is I never left you. All through my wild days, my mad existence, I kept my promise. Don't keep your distance," Beck sings.

"Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade! Hide your face, so the world will never find you!" André blurts out.

Beck and André make a pact to get their revenge on Nolan and Keegan. They run off to look for the boys.

Nolan and Keegan are too busy looking around the arena to notice Dylan on the tree branch above them. Dylan carefully aims his paintball marker. He fires twice, hitting his brother in the shoulder blade and Keegan on the butt. He stays quiet and silently watches the two boys stand up and sing.

"I dreamed a dream in time gone by, when hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die. I dreamed that God would be forgiving," an annoyed Keegan sings.

"In my own little corner, in my own little chair I can be whatever I want to be. On the wings of my fancy I can fly anywhere, and the world will open it's arms to me," Nolan sings, equally annoyed.

The two boys sprint away before they get hit again.

Dylan waits until Nolan and Keegan are gone, before he carefully makes his way down the climbing pegs that are sticking out of the trunk of the tree he's in. He stealthily makes his way to another climbable tree.

Beck and André survey the arena, looking for any movement. They unfortunately wander under the new tree that Dylan has climbed into. Beck gets hit on the back, and André is hit in the stomach. They sigh in frustration, then sing again.

"It's time to try defying gravity! I think I'll try defying gravity! Kiss me goodbye! I'm defying gravity! And you won't bring me down!," Beck rapidly spits out.

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?" André sings quickly.

They look around for who shot them, but they don't find anyone, so they move on. They agree to split up, so they can cover more ground.

Dylan lets André and Beck leave, then he climbs out of the tree. He silently scampers to another tree to wait for his next victim.

Nolan and Keegan climb onto a platform in a leafy tree. They eye their surroundings, looking for Beck, André, or Dylan.

Beck and André are both walking backwards, looking for Nolan and Keegan. They're both being so quiet that neither realizes how close they are until their backs bump into each other. They both scream and shoot each other.

"Aw! Come on, Beck!" André complains.

"Hey! You shot me too!" Beck retorts.

Unfortunately, neither Nolan nor Keegan can contain their laughter, and they end up getting shot by André and Beck. They grumble as they climb off the platform.

The four guys sigh and sing as quickly as they can, so they can move on.

"And I know things now, many valuable things that I hadn't known before.

Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood," Nolan sings quickly, before running off.

"The way is clear! The light is good! I have no fear, nor no one should. The woods are just trees! The trees are just wood!" Keegan sings, before taking off after Nolan.

"Holy macaroni! No, it cant be true! No, you cant repeat a single word Im telling you and oh! Can you imagine what Brett would do if he heard that kind of a rumor?" Beck sings.

"When I'm stuck in a day that's gray and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and say: Oh, the sun'll come out tomorrow! So ya gotta hang on 'til tomorrow. Come what may...TOMORROW!" André sings.

He and Beck sprint in the opposite direction that Nolan and Keegan went in, looking for Dylan.

Dylan has himself camouflaged in a bush. He carefully focuses on Beck and André, stalking them as if he were a lion, and they were a pair of antelopes. He decides that they are too far away to get an accurate shot, so he waits for them to stray closer to him. When they do, he goes in for the shot, hitting Beck's butt and André's bicep with another shot.

"Ha! You're out!" Dylan exclaims, jumping out from behind a bush.

André and Beck sigh disappointedly, then wish the young boy luck, before they head for the "Out Rock."

Dylan ends up winning round one. He also ends up winning the next three rounds as well.

By the time their hour and thirty minutes in the arena is complete, the group has played thirteen rounds. Dylan won eleven out of those thirteen rounds.

* * *

When they leave the arena, everyone with the exception of Dylan, is covered head-to-toe in colorful paint splatters. They return their equipment, then start walking to the lake. Robbie, Caleb, and Alex will meet them there.

At the lake, the boys take off their shirts, then they head straight for the water. Since they put their swim trunks on in the bathroom at the paintball place before leaving, they just drop their backpacks at the end of the dock and jump right in.

Nolan and Keegan race each other down the dock.

They both cannonball into the lake at the same time, splashing Dylan. The paint on their skin washes off and diffuses around them in colorful swirls in the clear lake water. Dylan jumps in next, but he quickly jumps back out, complaining about how cold the lake is to Beck. "It's too cold! I don't want to go in the lake," he tells his father. Beck grabs a towel out of his backpack and wraps it around his son. He sets Dylan down on the edge of the dock, then he and André jump into the shimmery water, splashing poor Dylan again.

"Daddy! You splashed me!" Dylan whines.

"Sorry, Dyl!" Beck calls out as he swims away from the dock.

Robbie, Caleb, and Alex meet everyone at the lake a few minutes later.

The two younger boys drops their backpacks by Nolan and Keegan's, and Robbie puts on their life vests, then they sprint down the dock. Dylan gets away from the edge when he sees the boys coming down the dock. He successfully avoids getting splashed a third time.

"Daddy!" Caleb calls to André. He doggy paddles over to his father. André greets his sons and picks him up. He puts Caleb on his shoulders.

Robbie jumps into the lake, but he also quickly jumps back out. He hangs out with Dylan on the dock, while the others swim.

Beck and André take turns tossing Caleb and Alex into the water. Nolan and Keegan have breath holding contests, but they soon get bored and start splashing around.

* * *

Several hours of fun at the lake later, the group dries off and heads back to the campsite.

After a delicious dinner of pork and beans, the group makes s'mores and sings songs around the campfire.

Robbie, André, and Beck do not let the older boys tells anymore stories before bed.

* * *

**Hi, everyone! I apologize for not updating sooner! I was in Las Vegas, and I didn't have access to a computer, so I couldn't post new chapters. I'm back home now, and I hope to post more soon! I already have several pre-written chapters to post, so be on the look out for them! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! :)**


	18. Camping: Part 4

**Camping: Day 3**

It's the last day of camping, but the boys' departure from the nature park gets delayed.

* * *

Nolan, Keegan, and Dylan are the first ones to wake up. They take the dogs away from the campsite to relieve themselves. When they come back, everyone else is still asleep, so they start packing up their things because today is the day that they're going home.

Everyone is still sleeping when they finish packing up.

"Hey! Let's take a walk!" Keegan suggests.

"Sure, why not? We just have to be back before they wake up," Nolan says.

The boys grab their backpacks and put leashes on Scout and Zippy, then they head off towards the forrest trail, not even bothering to change out of their pajamas.

* * *

The boys haven't been walking for a while when they hear something rustling in the leaves.

They stop and look around. Scout stiffens and sniffs the air. They hear more leaves rustle. Scout snarls. Nolan pats the Rottweiler on his head. "Shh...boy...it's okay," he comforts.

Suddenly, a furry tannish creature walks in front of the boys. It stops and looks at them.

"Don't. Make. Any. Sudden. Movements," Keegan whispers through clenched teeth.

Zippy barks at the creature, making it charge at the group.

"RUN!" Dylan screams, taking off with his Golden Retriever. Nolan and Keegan scream and take off too. The boys and dogs run away as fast as they can.

"Up there!" Nolan points out, gesturing to a tall wooden structure.

The group sprints to the structure and quickly climbs the ladder. The dogs jog up the ramp on the other side. Once they're all safely on the platform, the boys push the ladder down, so the creature can't reach them. They also detach the ramp when the dogs are on the platform, so the creature can't use it to get to them.

Scout and Zippy bark ferociously at the creature, which the boys now realize is a coyote.

The coyote howls at the group for a while, but it eventually leaves them alone and runs back into the forrest.

The boys pant heavily, trying to catch their breath. They carefully survey the ground below them, before deciding that they're safe. They try to climb off the platform, but they realize they have no safe way of getting down.

"We're stuck up here!" Dylan comments.

Nolan glares at his younger brother. "Yeah! Thank you, CATHERINE OBVIOUS!" he snaps. Keegan tells his friend that the phrase is actually "Thank you, CAPTAIN Obvious!" This earns him a glare.

"What even is this thing?" Nolan asks, inspecting the structure that he and his friends are on.

Keegan points to a piece of paper tacked onto the platform. "I think it's a bird watching platform. This paper has the schedule for a bird watching club," he says. Nolan and Dylan look at the paper. Dylan suggest that they call their parents. Keegan calls Robbie, Nolan calls Beck, and Dylan calls André. All three of their calls fail. They look at their phones. None of them have service.

Nolan suggests yelling for help, so the boys shout as loud as they can. The dogs bark. No one is close enough to hear them.

"We're gonna die up here!" Dylan panics.

Nolan pats his little brother on the head. "No, we're not. They'll realize that were gone, and they'll find us," he reassures Dylan. Keegan climbs onto the second floor of the bird watching platform. He tries to call Robbie again.

Nolan and Dylan watch their friend hopefully.

"I have one bar!" Keegan announces joyously. He scrolls through his contacts and finds his dad's number. He taps the call option on the screen, then puts his phone to his ear. He informs his friends that the phone is ringing. When Robbie picks up, Keegan frantically explains the situation. Just as he's about to tell his father where he and friends are, his call drops.

"Well, now what do we do?" Dylan asks.

Nolan and Keegan shrug.

"I guess we just have to wait. Maybe they can track Keegan's cellphone like they do on TV," Nolan says, trying to be optimistic.

Keegan climbs back down and sits next to Nolan and Dylan. The boys put their arms over each other's shoulder in support, while they figure out what their next move is.

* * *

"It was Keegan!" Robbie exclaims to Beck and André.

"Is he with Nolan and Dylan?" an extremely worried Beck asks.

Robbie nods and relays everything that Keegan told him back to his friends. He tells them that the phone call cut off as Keegan started telling him where he, Nolan, Dylan, and the dogs are.

Beck and Robbie pace as André calls a park ranger.

"I'm going out to look for them!" Beck announces, grabbing his backpack and slinging it onto his back. Robbie gets his backpack and announces that he is accompanying Beck, and André volunteers to stay with the two younger boys, who are still asleep.

* * *

Beck and Robbie search the trails for any traces of the boys or dogs. Unfortunately, the dirt paths are packed solid, so the boys and dogs didn't leave any bootprints or pawprints.

They take turns calling their sons' names out.

* * *

When André explains the situation to the park ranger, a group of rangers is sent out to look for the boys.

While he stays with Caleb and Alex, he calls Jade and Cat to fill them in on the situation.

* * *

"I'm going murder Beck!" Jade screeches furiously after she hangs up with André.

Gabbi and Brooke, who are coloring in Jade and Beck's bedroom, look at their mother in horror.

"Please don't kill Daddy!" Brooke cries worriedly.

Jade picks up her daughter. She assures the small child that she's just really angry at Beck, she won't actually murder him. Brooke breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes.

"Come on, girls! We're going to see your father and brothers!" Jade announces. She tries to remain calm, so she doesn't alarm her kids.

"Why are we going to see them? Aren't they coming back later today?" Brooke questions.

Jade sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Honey, please don't question me. Will you please you get your shoes on?" she says. Brooke decides that now is not the time it be sassy, and she obeys her mother.

As the three are leaving their house, they run into Cat and her daughters, Abby and Addie.

"Oh my god! Did André call you!?" Cat shrieks to Jade.

"Yes, we're on our way to the nature park right now. Do you want to come?" Jade says in reply.

Cat nods, then she, Jade, and their daughters hop into Jade's minivan.

* * *

"Where is he!?" an outraged Jade exclaims as she storms onto the campsite. She navigates her way through police cars and people to get to André.

Gabbi and Brooke run after their mother, hoping that she won't flip a table or anything.

"Jade, he and Robbie are out looking for the boys," André tells his angry raven-haired friend.

Gabbi looks at Cat, who is frantically searching around, while her two worried daughter watch. "Aunt Cat, what's going on?" she asks. Cat pauses and looks at the small child, who look like a clone of her mother. "Your brothers and Keegan are missing," she tells Gabbi.

Gabbi gasps and runs over to her mother.

"Nolan and Dylan are missing, Mommy!" she announces to her mother with a look of concern crossing her face. Jade turns away from André and bends down to look into her daughter's eyes. "I know, sweetie. That's why we're here," she tells her child, before returning to her conversation with André.

* * *

Several hours later, Beck and Robbie return without the boys or dogs.

"How could you let this happen, Beck!?" Jade screeches as she runs towards her husband with her arms outstretched. André and Robbie jump in and hold her back, so she doesn't strangle her husband. Jade fights against her two friends, but she eventually settles down, and they let go of her. "Jade, don't you think I would have prevented this if I had the chance to? We think that the boys went for a walk and got lost. There are park rangers and police officers canvassing the entire nature park. We'll find them," Beck reassures his wife.

* * *

"It's getting dark. How long have we been up here?" Dylan asks.

Keegan looks at his watch. He tells everyone that it's about 7:45 in the evening, meaning they've been up in the bird watching platform for over twelve hours.

Nolan offers everyone a granola bar from his backpack. They each take one and munch on the crunchy snacks.

"How much food and water do we have left?" Keegan asks.

Everyone checks their foods and water supplies. Keegan has six granola bars, an unopened bag of beef jerky, a four-pack of chocolate chip cookies, and a half full 32 oz. water bottle left. Nolan has four granola bars, a full bag of dried mango slices (which he stole from Jade), and twelve ounces of water. Dylan has five packs of crackers, a bag of trail mix with all of the M&amp;Ms eaten, and twenty ounces of water.

The temperature starts to drop as the sun sets. The boys shiver.

"Well, it could be worse. It could be raining," Dylan says optimistically.

As if on cue, a sudden, chilly downpour starts.

Nolan and Keegan glare at Dylan as cold raindrops fall through the slats in the platform above them and hit them in the head.

"Way to go, Dylan," Nolan says, his voice laced with sarcasm. Dylan sticks his tongue in response to his brother's sarcasm.

The boys reach into their backpacks and grab their enormous insulated rain ponchos.

Nolan unfolds and sets his poncho on the platform, which is getting wet, so everyone would have something dry to sit on. Keegan unfolds his poncho and wraps it around Nolan, Dylan, and himself. Dylan unfolds his poncho and puts it over the Scout and Zippy. The boys huddle together with the dogs, trying to conserve their body heat.

* * *

"We're gonna die," Dylan whispers a few hours later.

It's now 1:32 in the morning, and rain is still coming down.

"We're not going to die," Keegan says.

Nolan and Keegan keep up their "we're going to survive" attitude up for a couple more hours, but despair starts to set in at 4:37 in the morning.

"I need to get something off my chest before we die," Dylan states.

"Go for it," Nolan replies.

"Once I used too much toilet paper, and I clogged the toilet. When I was trying to fix it, I knocked my mom's toothbrush into the toilet by accident. I just fished it out, then put it back on the sink without telling anyone," Dylan says quietly.

Nolan and Keegan giggle. Dylan breathes a sigh of relief. "Whew! I can die in peace now!" he says, feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

"I have a confession to make," Keegan announces. "I buried my dad's favorite pair of pants in my backyard. I didn't want him wearing them in public. I told my mom that I was burying a time capsule when she almost caught me."

Dylan and Nolan giggle. Keegan looks at Nolan expectantly. "Well?" he prods, elbowing his best friend. Nolan shrugs, "What?" Keegan pokes his best friend. "Don't you have something you wanna confess?" he asks.

Nolan sighs. "I let Scout eat the rest of my dinner the other night, and that's why he threw up on my dad's pillow," he says.

The three boys laugh, then they hug.

"If we're going to die, I'm glad we're going to die together," Dylan says.

"Me too," Keegan agrees.

"Me three," Nolan also agrees.

* * *

Over the next twenty-four hours, Beck, André, Cat, and Jade take turns going out with the search teams.

As Beck and Jade are searching together, they notice a patch of bushes thy look like they've been disturbed. They investigate further and see bootprints and pawprints in the softer dirt under and behind the bushes. A canopy of tree leaves protected the the prints from getting washed away by the heavy rain.

Beck and Jade follow the footprints as rain pours down on them until they can't find anymore.

"The rain washed away the rest of the prints!" Beck says, disconcertedly.

Jade shushes her husband and listens closely.

"Beck, do you hear that?" she whispers.

"Hear what? The rain?" Beck asks.

Jade shushes her husband again and listens more.

"Singing. They're singing, Beck! They're singing that song - Make It Shine!" she exclaims.

She grabs Beck's arm and runs in the direction that the singing is coming from.

"Look!" Jade exclaims, pointing to something in the distance.

Beck looks where his wife is pointing, and he sees Nolan's neon orange poncho in the bird watching platform. He and Jade race to the tower, screaming their children and Keegan's names.

* * *

Dylan, Nolan, and Keegan here their names being shouted, and they look up.

The boys see Beck and Jade running towards the bird watching platform. They jump up and down, waving their arms around and yelling joyously. The dogs bark and run around in circles excitedly.

When Beck and Jade get to the bird watching platform, they are overjoyed at seeing Nolan, Dylan, and Keegan safe and alive.

Jade totally ignored the fallen ladder and detached ramp, and she just starts climbing the up the tree. Beck gets the ladder and leans it against the structure. He climbs up it.

"MOMMY!" Dylan screams, throwing his arms around Jade's waist.

Jade hugs her son tightly. Beck hugs Nolan and Keegan tightly.

Jade kisses both of her sons' and Keegan's foreheads. She squeezes Nolan and Keegan in a tight hug.

Dylan, Nolan, and Keegan cling onto Beck and Jade, not caring that the two adults are soaking wet from being in the rain for hours.

"You had us so worried!" Jade exclaims, hugging all three kids again.

"Why are you even up here?" Beck questions, also hugging all three kids.

Dylan, Nolan, and Keegan look at each other, then back at Beck and Jade.

"Well..." Keegan begins.

"We woke up early, and no one else was awake, so we took the dogs out to go to the bathroom. When we came back, everyone was still asleep. We decided to take a walk with Scout and Zippy, but we planned on coming back before everyone woke up," Nolan picks up.

"Then we got chased by a coyote, and we climbed onto this thing. We pushed the ladder and ramp away, so the coyote wouldn't get to us. When it went away, we realized that we were stuck up here with no way to safe leave. We tried calling dad, Uncle André, and Uncle Robbie lots of times, but we couldn't get a signal. We've been here for like three days! We started singing because Uncle André told us that we can always make things better by singing a song," Dylan continues to explain.

Jade and Beck hug all three boys again.

Dylan brushes away the damp hair that's clinging to Jade's face. He sees her makeup running down her face. "Mommy, you're crying!" he says, gently wiping away some of Jade's smeared mascara.

"Honey, these are happy tears. You don't known how scared we all were when you went missing. Don't you ever leave the group without permission again! That goes for all of you!" Jade says, first directing her words at Dylan, then directing them at all the boys.

"We're really sorry for scaring you guys. We'll never go away without permission ever again," Nolan apologizes. Dylan and Keegan apologize too, and everyone joins together for another hug.

* * *

When Beck, Jade, Dylan, Nolan, and Keegan return to the campsite, they reunite with their friends and families.

Keegan runs over to Cat and Robbie, throwing his arms around both of them in a tight embrace. Both of his parents give their son a big hug and kiss, then Robbie scolds him for leaving without letting anyone know. Cat halfheartedly tries to reprimand Keegan, but she hates disciplining any of her children.

Nolan and Dylan hug their siblings.

After everything is taken care of, all of the families go home, finally leaving the campsite at 6:23 in the morning.

* * *

On the drive home, Beck and Jade discuss the importance of safety and what to do if they get lost.

"Daddy, Nolan gave Scout the rest of his dinner the other night, and that's why he threw up on your pillow!" Dylan tattles when Beck and Jade finish their safety lecture.

Brooke and Gabbi giggle in the backseat. Nolan lightly punches his brother in the arm. Scout groans and puts his head down.

"Nolan Beck Oliver-West!" Beck exclaims sternly.

An indignant look crosses Nolan's face. He points at his little brother.

"Well, Dylan dropped mom's toothbrush in the toilet!" he exclaims back.

Jade's mouth drops open. She gags, trying to hold back vomit.

Brooke and Gabbi grimace. "Ewwww!" they squeal in disgust. Dylan shoves his older brother's shoulder.

"Dylan Parker Oliver-West!" Jade shrieks at her youngest son.

Dylan throws his hands up in the air.

"I only confessed that because I thought I was gonna die! All I did was accidentally knock it into the toilet when I was trying to fix it because I clogged it when I used too much toilet paper after going number two!" he says defensively.

"I think I'm going to throw up," Jade mutters, dry heaving.

Brooke looks at her mother, her eyes widened in fear. "Don't you dare throw up in the car, Mommy!" she warns.

Beck tries to hold in a chuckle as he continues the rest of the thirty minute drive home.

* * *

When Beck pulls into the driveway of their home, Jade jumps out of the car and makes a beeline for the bathroom. She takes out a large, unopened bottle of mouthwash. She rips off the plastic that seals it shut and takes a big swig of it. She gargles for two minutes straight, then spits in the sink. She takes another swig of mouthwash, gargles for two minutes, then spits it out into the sink. She continues this process until the entire bottle of mouthwash is empty.

Beck lets Nolan and Dylan go up to their rooms to rest, while he finished unpacking the car. Brooke brings the dogs inside, and Gabbi stays outside to help Beck. However, she isn't able to give much help because majority of the bags are really heavy. She decides to keep her father company as she tries to help as much as she can.

* * *

As Beck brings the last duffel bag inside, he smiles to himself.

"This is one camping trip that I'm never forget," he muses aloud.


	19. The Question

**The Question**

The kids ask a difficult question. The problem? Their parents aren't quite sure how to answer it.

* * *

Beck and Jade are hosting a slumber party for their children at their home.

Tori and André's children, Caleb and Eden, are there. Cat and Robbie's triplets, Alex, Abby, and Addie, are also in attendance. Keegan tagged along to hang out with Nolan and Dylan. Trina's daughter, Mackenzie is there too. Beck and Jade invited Trina's step-daughters, Isabelle and Maddie, but they chose to stay at home with their father.

Since handling eleven kids alone is a nearly impossible task for Beck and Jade, the kids' parents are staying overnight to help out.

* * *

After letting the kids play together for a few hours, the parents decided that it's time for them to start settling down.

Beck and Jade order several pizzas for everyone.

While they wait for the pizzas to arrive, Tori, Cat, Trina, and Robbie do spa activities, and mani-pedis with the girls. Beck, Jade, and André play video games with the boys.

* * *

Cat and Tori help the girls put on face masks. The girls lay down with a pale green substance slathered all over their faces and cucumbers over their eyes. Robbie gives the girls pedicures, which is something that Cat made him learn to do when she was pregnant with the triplets, and Trina gives them manicures.

Beck, Jade, André, and the boys play an army video game. Nolan, Keegan, and Dylan team up. André forms a team with Caleb and Alex, and Beck and Jade play as a team of two.

* * *

When the pizzas are delivered, Beck and André set them down on the kitchen counter. They start getting a slice of pizza for everyone.

Trina, Cat, and Jade are getting the younger kids settled in the playroom, while Tori and Robbie get the older kids settled in Nolan's room.

The younger kids are sleeping in the large playroom. They have their sleeping bags laid out, and they're going to watch a movie while they eat pizza.

The older boys are sleeping in Nolan's room. They have their sleeping bags laid out on the floor, and they're going to continue their video game tournament while they eat.

* * *

Beck and André bring pizza to the playroom for the younger kids.

Caleb, Brooke, and Mackenzie each get a slice of sausage pizza. Eden and Abby each get a slice of pepperoni pizza. Alex and Addie each get a slice of plain cheese pizza. Gabbi gets a slice of Hawaiian pizza.

Once the younger children have their food, Beck and André bring pizza to the older boys.

Keegan and Nolan each get a slice of the meat lovers trio pizza. Dylan gets a slice of veggie pizza.

The older boys resume their gaming promptly after they get their food.

Jade turns on the movie _Inside Out _for the younger children, then she goes back to her kitchen to get herself some food.

* * *

With the kids satisfied and settled, the parents finally have a chance to rest.

They sit in Beck and Jade's kitchen, eating pizza and talking together.

Beck eats a slice of the meat lovers trio pizza. Robbie and Trina munch on slices of veggie pizza. Tori and André each eat a slice of pepperoni pizza. Jade snacks on a slice of Hawaiian pizza.

* * *

The kids watch the start of the movie, which takes place in the hospital, right after Riley (a character in the movie) is born. It gets the kids thinking.

"Where did Riley come from?" Eden asks, putting down her pizza.

Abby points to the television screen. "The hospital," she tells her friend, before picking a pepperoni off her pizza and eating it.

"No, I mean before that," Eden clarifies.

"She came from her mommy's tummy," Gabbi informs her friend. She munches on her pizza, enjoying it's deliciousness and wondering why she and Jade are the only ones that like Hawaiian pizza.

"Her mommy ate her!?" Mackenzie questions incredulously. Her mouth hanging open in shock.

Gabbi thinks for a moment. "Well, I don't exactly think she ate her..." she states, before she focuses on the movie again.

Addie finishes chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth. She looks at the movie screen and then at Gabbi. "Well, then how did Riley get in her mommy's tummy?" she inquires.

Gabbi shrugs. She admits that she doesn't actually know how Riley got into her mother's stomach. Brooke suggests that they ask the older boys.

Following their friend's suggestion, the younger kids abandon their pizza and head to Nolan's room.

* * *

Gabbi knocks on her eldest brother's door.

"Go away!" Nolan says, focusing on aiming his machine gun in the video game.

"But we have a question!" Brooke pesters.

Keegan sighs and pauses the game. They boys get up, open the door, and ask what the question is.

"Where do babies come from?" Addie asks.

The older boys think for a while. "They come from their mother's tummies," Nolan finally answers.

"Yeah, but how do they get in there?" Caleb prods.

The three older kids look at each and shrug. They admit that they aren't quite sure what the answer to the younger kids' question is.

Dylan suggests asking the "grown-ups," and the kids head to the kitchen.

* * *

The parents hear footsteps coming down the hall, and they halt their conversations. They see all of the kids enter the kitchen.

"We have a question!" Eden declares.

The adults look at Eden.

"Yes?" Tori responds.

"Where do babies come from?" Addie asks.

The adults freeze. They plaster fake smiles over their faces.

"Why don't I take you back to the playroom, so you can finish your pizza?" Beck offers in an attempt to change the subject.

The kids tell him that their pizza can wait. They ask again, looking at their parents expectantly.

"Well...babies come from their mommy's tummy," Tori explains.

"We know that, but how do they get there in the first place? Like, how are they made?" Abby presses.

The adults freeze again. They stare at the curiosity-filled faces of their children for a few seconds, then they turn their backs and form a huddle.

* * *

"We should do it really quickly, like ripping off a band-aid," Trina suggests in hushed whisper.

Robbie shakes his head. "No, that won't work," he disputes. "We should be straightforward and just give them the facts, you know? Make it educational."

All of the parents object to Robbie's idea.

Brooke impatiently taps her foot on the ground. She clears her throat. "Ahem! We're waiting!" she sasses.

"Gives us a moment," Tori says, not looking up from the huddle.

The kids sigh in exasperation as they sit down on the floor, watching their parents talk.

* * *

"I vote that Beck tells them! After all, he and Jade have the most kids!" André throws out.

Beck shoots his friend an indignant glare. "No way! Why me? Jade is the mother of our children, therefore I'm not the only one with the most kids. Make her do it!" he states, gesturing to his wife. Jade elbows Beck in the ribs in response. She opens her mouth to object, but someone else objects for her. "Jade is way too blunt to do it without scarring the kids for life," Tori says. Jade thanks Tori for her support.

"Well, Robbie and Cat have the same amount of kids that we do!" Beck asserts.

Cat shrieks at the thought of having to come up with an explanation to the kids' question.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Yes, we have the same number of kids as you and Jade, but one is adopted, and the other three were conceived through IVF," Robbie tells Beck.

"I vote that André does it! He's a songwriter, so he's good with words," Beck says, getting his revenge on his friend.

André gives Beck an annoyed glare. "No way, man! I'm not scarring these kids for life!" he exclaims in a quiet whisper. He shakes his head.

The adults continue trying to come up with a plan, while the kids grow bored and restless.

* * *

"I know what we can do! My Aunt Brenda, was babysitting us one time. She was studying a medical textbook for an exam. I think she forgot to take it home with her. It's probably still in the basement. I'm sure that we can find an answer in there!" Nolan suggests. The kids get up and turn around to go to the basement.

Even though Jade is only half-listening to the kids, what her oldest son says gets her full attention. Knowing that Beck's older sister, who is studying to become an obstetrician, has some pretty graphic textbooks, she turns around to stop the kids before they even leave the kitchen.

The kids turn around and sit back down.

"Mom, why can't we just look at Aunt Brenda's book? You guys don't know what the answer is," Nolan complains.

"There is nothing wrong with looking something up if you don't know the answer," Keegan adds in support.

Jade tells the kids to hang tight and wait a few more minutes, before turning around and rejoining the huddle.

* * *

"The kids are getting antsy! We need an answer ASAP!" Jade reports to the group.

"I'll do it," Robbie volunteers.

"NO!" the rest of the group shouts in objection. They don't agree with Robbie's idea of just giving the children the facts about how babies are made.

"Well, someone has to say something soon!" Jade urges.

"Make something up! Tell them that babies are created with magic!" Trina recommends.

"The kids are too smart for that. They won't buy any of our BS. Plus, we can't get away with the stork story because they already know that babies grow inside their mothers," Beck whispers through clenched teeth.

"Seeing that we're Hollywood Arts alumni, one would think we'd be better at improvising things on the spot," Robbie comments.

* * *

The parents think for a few seconds. As the children grow more impatient, André shoves Beck out of the huddle and to the front. The kids look at Beck expectantly. Beck glares at his friend for throwing him under the bus. He looks to Jade for support, but she just gives him a thumbs-up. He looks to his other friends, but they just have amused smirks on their faces.

"Santa brings babies to their mommies," Beck tells the children. He chuckles nervously and gives the kids an awkward grin.

Brooke calls her father out on his lie. Soon, the other kids start calling Beck out on his lie too. They tell him that they know he made the whole "Santa brings babies" explanation up. Beck asks why they think he's lying.

"Santa makes toys, not babies!" Alex states.

"And he only brings stuff on Christmas!" Caleb chimes in.

"Plus, how would he even get the baby in the mommy's tummy?" Dylan questions.

Beck shuffles backwards and rejoins the huddle without saying anything else.

* * *

"Santa brings babies? Really, Beck?" Jade asks her husband when he comes back into the huddle.

"I don't know! That was the first thing that popped into my head!" Beck says defensively.

Cat suggests that Trina tell the kids, since she's the oldest of the group. As Trina gives the redhead a nasty look, Jade pushes her out of the huddle and directs her towards the children.

"Kids, you were absolutely right. Uncle Beck made that up," Trina says to the kids.

"Okay, so how are babies actually made?" Mackenzie asks her mother. She is like a miniature clone of Trina.

"Well, you see, kids...boys have sperm and girls have eggs. When the sperm and egg join together, an embryo is created. The embryo then becomes a baby over the course of nine months. This is why a mommy's belly grows bigger and bigger until she has her baby," Trina quickly explains to the children. She breathes a sigh of relief, realizing that saying that was a lot easy than she thought it would be. She mentally pats herself on the back for a job well done.

The kids think this newfound information over for a while, letting it process through their minds.

"Okay, so how does the sperm get to the egg?" Caleb questions.

"Shit..." Trina swears under her breath. She looks at the children unsurely. She bites her lip and looks back at André, Tori, Cat, Robbie, Beck, and Jade. Her eyes plead for help.

"Look over there!" Trina suddenly blurts out with feigned surprise. She points into the distance behind the kids.

The kids turn around for a moment, tying to figure out what Trina just pointed to. They don't notice her back away and join the huddle again.

* * *

"I don't know how to elaborate any further without bringing up sex!" Trina exclaims, a little bit louder than she should have.

"What's sex!?" Gabbi questions loudly.

All of the adults whip around to look at the five-year-old.

Tori elbows Trina in the side. "_Way to go, Slick_," she praises sarcastically. Trina shoots her younger sister an annoyed glare.

The adults can't tell if Trina just helped their problem or made it even worse. She technically answered the kids' question, but now they are stuck with the task of explaining what sex is to the children.

* * *

"Sex is how babies are made..." Robbie begins. He tries to continue with his explanation, but Cat stops him before he can go into anymore detail.

"How does the sex make a baby?" Eden inquires.

"And how do people do sex?" Abby asks.

The parents look at their children with a look of uncertainty mixed with anxiety.

"They don't know! Let's just look at my aunt's textbook! I'll go get it!" Nolan states as he walks out of the kitchen.

"Whoa! Let's not look at Aunt Brenda's book!" Beck exclaims, picking up his son and bringing him back to the kitchen.

Nolan crosses his arms as a pout fixes itself on his face.

"Is making sex a bad thing?" Addie asks.

"Well, no...not necessarily..." Tori answers.

"Then why won't you guys just answer our questions?" a frustrated Brooke whines.

Robbie suggests that they just come clean about the facts and give the kids straightforward answers from now on. Since they're out of options, and the kids won't give up until they get a satisfactory response, the adults finally decide to follow Robbie's advice. They make a plan to get the medical textbook from the basement before any of the kids can get ahold of it, find a definition for sex, child-proof and summarize it, then write it down on a piece of paper for the kids to read.

* * *

Jade runs down to the basement of her house, grabs her sister-in-law's textbook, then brings it back up to the kitchen.

The adults form their huddle again. Robbie flips through the pages until he finds what they need. The adults silently read the section that Robbie finds, and they come up with a child-friendly summary of the passage. Tori scribbles the summary onto a sheet of paper, then Jade steps forward to present it to the kids.

"Who wants to read this?" Jade asks, holding the paper up in the air. Keegan steps forward. "I'll read it," he volunteers. Jade hands the paper to the boy, before she steps back and stands next to Beck. Keegan looks at the paper, then begins reading it.

* * *

"Sex is short for 'sexual intercourse.' It is performed when a man inserts his penis into the vagina of a woman," Keegan reads out loud. He drops the paper. Immediately after he reads he last word, his and all of the other children's faces contort into a disgusted and disturbed grimace. "I would give anything to unread that!" Keegan says, try to shake off what he just read.

"I'm never going to do the sex with anyone!" a grossed out Eden declares loudly.

André high fives his daughter with a huge grin on his face. "That's my girl! Good job, Eden!" he praises proudly.

"Wait! Is that how we all got here!?" Addie questions.

Robbie nods. "For the most part, yes," he replies. This elicits a chorus of abhorrent cries from the children.

Gabbi runs up to her father and punches him in the abdomen as hard as she can.

"Ow!" Beck exclaims, mostly crying out as a response to being startled rather than actually being in pain. He rubs the newly created sore spot on his stomach. "What was that about, Gabz!?" he questions.

A distraught Gabbi runs over to Jade and throws her arms around her, clinging onto her mother's waist. Jade picks her youngest child up and tries to comfort her. "That was for being a bad man and touching mommy!" Gabbi angrily informs Beck. Jade tries to hold back a snicker, earning her an annoyed look from her husband.

"Let's beat up our dads for being creeps!" a vengeful Nolan suggests to the rest of the kids.

"YEAH!" the children shout in agreement.

Hence forth, chaos erupts in Beck and Jade's kitchen.

* * *

The kids charge at their fathers, while their mothers try to restrain them.

"Kids, please stop trying to kill your fathers!" Cat shrieks.

"Knock it off!" Tori orders as she pulls Eden off of André. Trina holds a kicking and screaming Caleb, while Mackenzie just clings onto her mother.

"ENOUGH!" Jade shouts sternly, causing all of the children to stop what they're doing and look at her.

"But, Mommy, now that I know how I got here, I have to beat Daddy up for touching you like that!" Gabbi explains seriously, glaring daggers at Beck. She runs over to Jade to hug her.

"Kids, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, sometimes they want to have a baby together. And to make that baby, sometimes they need to do things with each other that you don't understand. Don't worry. It'll all make a lot more sense when you're older," Jade tells the children.

The adults are shocked at how child-friendly Jade's explanation is.

This seems to satisfy the kids, and they drop the matter. They apologize and give their fathers hugs.

The revolt comes to an end, and all is well again.

* * *

"Hey! Who wants to make ice cream sundaes?" Beck asks cheerfully, making sure to get the kids completely off the topic.

"ME!" the kids shout all at once.

Jade and Tori start getting ice cream out of the freezer. Cat and Trina take out toppings. André and Beck begin heating up hot fudge and caramel sauce. Robbie chats with the kids about ice cream.

The adults breathe a sigh of relief, glad that the kids have finally moved past the subject of "where do babies come from."


	20. Trail Riding: Part 1

**Trail Riding: The West Side Ranch**

The kids learn something new about horses and their mother.

* * *

"Come on, guys! Let's gooo! I want to see Caroline!" Gabbi whines. She stands at the front door of her house, her eyes on the knob. She's excited because Jade's cousin, Caroline, is taking everyone horseback riding. Gabbi, who is a huge animal-lover, can't wait to get to the ranch. She paces around impatiently.

Beck and Jade come down the stairs and wait with Gabbi. Nolan and Dylan come down next. Finally, Brooke comes down.

Caroline told everyone to wear long pants and shoes that have a small heel.

Brooke has her long brown hair neatly plaited into pigtails. She is outfitted in a pair of denim jeans, which are tucked into a pair of white cowgirl boots, a plaid shirt that's tied in the front, and a cowgirl hat that matches her boots.

The rest of the family is dressed in jeans and leather boots. Beck wears his work boots, and Jade wears her black leather boots. Nolan and Dylan wear their hiking boots, and Gabbi wears her cowgirl boots from an old Halloween costume.

No one is dressed as extravagantly as Brooke, whose personal fashion motto is "go big or go home."

With everyone no downstairs and ready to go, Beck and Jade get their kids in the car and leave for the stable.

* * *

After a twenty minute drive, Beck comes up to a closed iron gate, that blocks entry to the property. He presses a button on an intercom and asks to be let in. A few seconds pass, then the gate rattles and slides open. Beck drives through the opening and enters the property of the West Side Ranch, which is owned by Jade's aunt and uncle.

"Wow, they've really upped the security measures since the last time I was here," Jade comments as her husband cruises down a long driveway, passing big green pastures containing equines of varying sizes and colors. Beck shrugs. "It's probably for Caroline," he says.

Sixteen-year-old Caroline West is the only child of the West Side Ranch's owners. She is also Jade's favorite cousin. Like Beck and Jade, she has an interest in the performing arts, and she currently stars in a new sitcom about dance that's shot in the style of a documentary. Her rising popularity attracts paparazzi, so her parents added extra security measures to their property to keep their daughter safe.

Beck pulls into the parking lot and stops the car in an empty spot. He takes the key out of the ignition, then gets out of the car. He opens the door for Brooke and Gabbi, while the rest of his family hops out of the car.

* * *

Caroline, who sees the car coming down the driveway, meets the family in the parking lot.

She is a slender, petite girl. Her long medium-brown hair hangs in loose waves below her shoulders, and her crystal blue eyes sparkle as she jauntily walks up to Beck, Jade, and the kids.

"How's my favorite Hollywood power couple?" Caroline greets cheerfully, giving Beck and Jade a hug. She greets each of the children. She gives Nolan a high five. She ruffles Dylan's hair. She compliments Brooke on her cowgirl getup, and she hugs Gabbi.

"Look! I'm dressed like a cowgirl!" Brooke tells Caroline, twirling around to show off her outfit.

Caroline gives the small girl a thumbs-up, then she takes the family to the school horse barn, which is where the horses and ponies that are used for lessons are housed. She introduces them to the all of horses and ponies. When she's finished with that, she has everyone stand outside of the barn's wash stall, while she gets one of the horses.

* * *

Caroline takes the halter hanging up outside the horse's stall and opens the stall door. She clucks softly to the horse, getting its attention. The horse looks up from its hay and blinks. It lifts its head, and Caroline slips the halter over it. She buckles the halter, then clips a lead rope onto it. She leads the horse into the wash stall and clips the cross ties onto each side of its halter.

"This is Bo. He is a bay Standardbred gelding," Caroline tells everyone. She explains what a bay is and what a gelding is, then she grabs grooming kit from the tack room and explains each tool and what it's used for. She shows the kids how to groom Bo as she tells them important safety rules and basic facts about horses.

"How tall is he?" Gabbi asks, using a curry comb to loosen dirt from Bo's sleek chocolate-colored coat.

"He's probably about seventeen hands," Jade replies, looking at the horse.

"How many feet is he?" Brooke asks.

Jade explains that hands are a unit of measurement to her kids. She tells the kids how horses are measured, and she gives them a short lesson on horse anatomy.

"You're an actress. How do you know so much about horses, Mom?" Nolan asks, looking at Jade.

The reason Jade knows so much about horses is because she grew up around them. Her mother left her on her father's doorstep when she was two-years-old. Her father neglected her, so she was taken away by Child Protective Services. Her aunt and uncle were granted custody of her, but her father was given visitation rights, and she was sent to live on their ranch. They raised and loved her as if she were their own daughter. They supported her through everything, and she loved them back. She was never called them mom and dad, even though they were her only parental figures. She just refers to them by their first names, however her kids call her aunt and uncle their grandparents. Her children don't know a lot about Jade's past. They only know that Jade's mother isn't in the picture and that her father is a bad man.

"I grew up around horses," Jade tells her son, and she leave it at that.

Satisfied with his mother's answer, Nolan turns his attention back to grooming Bo. Beck holds Brooke up, so she can braid the gelding's black mane. Caroline shows the kids how to apply hoof polish, and theyfinish grooming the horse, and Caroline gives them a few sugar cubes. She shows them how to feed Bo treats, instructing them to hold their hand flat, so Bo won't mistake their fingers for food.

* * *

Once the kids give Bo his treats, Caroline brings out his tack. She turns to Jade. "Since I taught you how to groom Bo, I think your mom should teach you how to tack him up!" she suggest, directing her words to the kids. Wanting to see what else their mother knew, the kids support Caroline's suggestion. Caroline holds the tack towards Jade. "Well?" she says encouragingly. Jade sighs. She takes the thick saddle pad and places it on Bo's back. Next, she takes the saddle and gently places it on top of the saddle pad. She attaches the cinch and adjusts it. She does all of this in a span of a minute and thirty seconds. Even Beck is impressed at his wife's speed. The kids applaud their mother.

Jade gives her children a small smile. They start firing different questions at her. She answers all of their questions in a short lecture about horse tack. Caroline gets an English riding saddle from the tack room, so she can show the kids the difference between English and Western saddles. She tells them about the various parts of each saddle, pointing the parts out as she talks about them. She also talks to the kids about bridles, while Jade demonstrates how to bridle Bo.

The kids watch in fascination.

* * *

After he's fully tacked up, Caroline takes Bo out of the wash stall. She brings the family and the horse to the small outdoor riding ring. They each grab a helmet before walking out of the barn. There are six other people, who are holding the reins of six other horses and ponies, standing in the middle of the ring. "To be on the safe side, we're going to mount up in the arena," she explains to the children as she enters the ring. She stands in the middle next another horse with Bo. She has everyone else stand by the fence, while she assigns a horse or pony to each person. They put their helmets on as Caroline is thinking.

"Beck, you've ridden a few times before, right?" Caroline asks. Beck nods. She looks at the seven equines standing in the arena. "I'll put you on Romeo," she finally tells him, pointing to a tall chestnut Thoroughbred gelding. The horse is about seventeen hands tall.

Caroline asks Beck to demonstrate the proper way to mount a horse.

Romeo's handler gives the horse's reins to Beck. Beck leads his horse away from the other horses and brings him in front of everyone. He puts the reins over Romeo's neck, and he sticks his left foot in the left stirrup. He swings his right leg over the horse's back, then gently lowers himself into the saddle. Since the stirrups' length was appropriate for Beck's height, he didn't adjust them.

As Beck walks Romeo, back to the middle, Caroline continues assigning horses.

She points to Nolan. "Nolan, I'm putting you Rocket," she says. She directs Nolan to a stocky golden Quarter Horse. The gelding has sleepy brown eyes and a dappled coat. He has a flaxen cream-colored mane, tail, and forelock. He's about fourteen hands tall, and he has a diamond-shaped white patch between his eyes. Nolan walks over to Rocket and pats him on the nose. Rocket's handler brings the horse and boy to the mounting block in the upper left corner of the riding ring. He helps Nolan step onto the mounting block and get on Rocket, then he brings the two back to the middle.

"Dylan, you're gonna ride Lyla," Caroline says, pointing to an light grey Arabian mare. The mare has a sleek white coat and the traditionally dishy face of the Arabian breed. She has an arched neck and slender build. She is about fourteen and a half hands tall. Dylan starts walking to his assigned mount. He stops when someone makes an objection.

"I want to ride the white horse! It looks like a princess's horse!" Brooke calls out. Caroline reminds the girl that the correct term for a white-colored horse is grey. Brooke rolls her eyes and sighs. "I want to ride the _grey_ horse!" she whines, correcting herself.

Jade kneels in front of her daughter and looks the child in the eyes. "Honey, wouldn't you like to ride one of the _smaller, cuter_ ponies?" she asks, gesturing to the two smallest equines in the middle. She gives her daughter an encouraging smile. "I bet Caroline was going to put you on that adorable little pony over there," she says, pointing to a twelve hand Welsh Pony.

"Actually, I planned on putting Brooke on Bo," Caroline tells Jade. She pats Bo's strong neck. Brooke perks up, since she gets to ride the pretty horse with the braided mane and shiny hooves. She goes up to the tall equine. She reaches up and pets his shoulder.

Jade shoots her cousin an anxious look. She glances at Brooke and Bo. Her daughter's head barely reaches the middle of the horse's shoulder. Although she has complete faith in Bo and is certain that he is well-trained and completely safe to ride, Jade doesn't want to put Brooke in a situation where she'd have even the slightest chance of falling five and a half feet off of a horse.

Beck sees the expression on his wife's face and tells her that Brooke will be fine. Brooke echoes her father's reassurance to her mother as Caroline helps her mount up. Jade watches her daughter nervously as Caroline shortens the stirrups on Bo's saddle. "I'm fine, Mom!" Brooke confidently informs her mother. Jade gives her daughter a anxious smile. "Okay, sweetie...just please be careful," she cautions Brooke. Caroline reassures her cousin that Bo is trained extremely well and that Brooke will be totally fine.

Now everyone except Caroline, Jade, and Gabbi is on their horse. Caroline assigns Gabbi to the tiny, black pony. "I'm putting you on Spooky," she tells the small girl. Gabbi excitedly walks over to Spooky. He has one white sock on his left front leg and a white stripe running down his face. Gabbi pets the pony's neck, then the handler gives her a leg-up onto Spooky's back.

Jade's head whips towards Gabbi and Spooky when Caroline says the pony's name. "Spooky? His name is Spooky? Is he even safe for my daughter ride?" she interrogates. Caroline rolls her eyes and groans. She turns to her cousin and puts a hand on her shoulder. "He isn't called Spooky because he spooks a lot. His name is Spooky because he was born on Halloween. His registered name is A Dark and Spooky Night. She should be fine. He's practically bomb-proof! Reeeelllaaax," she tells Jade.

"What does it mean when a horse spooks?" Gabbi asks.

"Spooking happens when a horse gets scared or startled. Sometimes horses do dangerous things when they spook, which is why you're mother is worried. Don't worry, he hasn't spooked in years," Caroline explains. Gabbi nods and excepts this answer. She picks up the reins and pats the top of Spooky's head.

Jade eyes her daughters warily, but holds her tongue and doesn't give Caroline anymore flack about her choice in horse assignments.

"Finally, Jade, you will be riding Siz," Caroline tells her cousin. She begins to gesture to an elderly jet-black gelding, but Jade already knows which horse to go to.

Jade tentatively approaches the sixteen hand horse, holding her hand out. The gelding watches her come up to him. He lets out a happy-sounding sigh as he stretches his neck and head out towards Jade. He gently nuzzles her and rubs his face against her. He lets out a low nicker, twitching his nose in Jade's hand in search of a treat.

"He remembers you," Caroline tells her cousin.

Jade brings her hand to the horse's face and stroked it. She notices the white hairs that fleck his face. Siz nickers again and playfully pushes Jade's shoulder with his nose. She lets out a small chuckle.

"Hey, bud. I'm back. I'm sorry that I let you for so long," she softly coos to Siz. Siz lets out a joyous whinny and nuzzles Jade again, letting her know that he forgives her.

When Jade had Nolan, she started seeing Siz less and less. After she had Dylan, she had even less time to be with Siz because she was too busy caring for her children or doing schoolwork. Eventually, she just stopped coming to the barn altogether. The last time that she saw him before today was right before she left for college.

"Siz here, is your mom's horse. She's had him since he was four years old. Siz is his nickname. You won't believe what my parents let your mom name him!" Caroline says to Beck and the kids.

"What did she name him?" Nolan asks.

Caroline tries to hold back a giggle. "Sci—" she begins, before being interrupted. Jade shoots her cousin a "don't you dare" look. Caroline looks at Jade, who is using hand motions to tell her not to continue. Ignoring Jade's threatening glare and gesture, Caroline goes back to what she was saying. "She named him 'Scissor Blizzard!'" she tells everyone, despite Jade's objections.

The kids giggle, unsurprised that, given Jade's love of scissors, she choose to name her horse that. Beck tries to conceal a smirk, but he fails. Jade rolls her eyes.

"In my defense, I was eight years old!" she states as she sticks her left foot in her left stirrup. She jumps up from the ground and swings her right leg over Siz's hindquarters, then she slowly and gently lowers herself into the saddle.

Caroline giggles to herself and puts her helmet on. Then, she mounts the last pony, a thirteen and a half hand Haflinger mare named Buttercup. Buttercup is personally owned by Caroline. She has a blonde flaxen mane and tail, and her coat is a rich golden-chestnut color.

* * *

Caroline instructs the handlers to bring everyone to the rail. When everyone in stopped in a single file line, she thanks and dismisses the handlers. She turns Buttercup towards the group. She teaches the children the basics of riding a horse. She teaches them how to make their horse halt, go, or turn, and she teaches them the proper position that their bodies should be in while they ride. She also teaches them how to ride at a trot. She has everyone walk and trot along the rail of the arena, making sure they are listening to her instructions and understanding what she told them.

Once Caroline is confident in everyone's ability to control their horse or pony, she takes them out of the arena and onto the trail.


	21. Trail Riding: Part 2

**Trail Riding: The Wild Ride**

Caroline takes the Oliver-West family on a trail ride, and it starts going down for real.

* * *

The group walks on the trail in pairs of two, while Caroline leads alone in the front. The pairs are in single-file. Brooke and Gabbi ride side-by-side. Behind them, Nolan and Dylan ride side-by-side. In the back, Beck and Jade ride side-by-side.

Caroline takes the group on the most scenic trail. She points out interesting sights and thing to watch out for, such as low-hanging branches.

"Branch!" Caroline calls out to everyone. She and Buttercup are short enough to walk under the tree branch. The leaves graze the top of her helmet. However, the taller people in the group or the ones on taller horses may not be able to make it under the branch without ducking.

Brooke, who is too busy looking at a patch of flowers that Caroline pointed out, doesn't notice the branch until she gets a face full of leaves. Luckily, the actual branch only grazes the top of her helmet, so she isn't hurt. Nolan and Dylan try to contain their laughter. They are unsuccessful, and Brooke sticks her tongue out at them. Jade asks her daughter if she's okay. Brooke tells her mother that she's fine.

Everyone else is able to pass or duck under the branch without hitting it.

* * *

The trail eventually leads the group to a wide open field.

Caroline instructs everyone to stop. She looks behind her to make sure everyone is still there and that they're doing okay with spacing. Everyone is behind her, and their spacing is appropriate.

"Do you guys wanna try trotting?" Caroline asks, still turned around and facing the people behind her.

"Yeah!" the kids exclaim excitedly. They had a ton of fun trotting around the riding ring. Jade had a ton of anxiety as she watched them trotting around the riding ring.

Jade starts to object, but Beck shushes her. He reassures her that the kids will be fine and reminds her that none of them fell off when they trotted in the arena. Jade reminds her husband that the kids were in a riding ring, not on a trail, when they were trotting. Beck tells her to relax and let the kids have fun. Jade tells Beck that she'll blame him if anything happens to one of their kids.

"Since this field is flat and smooth, we can trot on it," Caroline tells the kids. She gives them a quick pop quiz about riding to make sure that they can ride safely. The kids answer every question correctly, and Caroline tells them what's going to happen.

Everyone will stand parallel to each other in the field. Caroline will ride out to the middle. She will call out each person's name. The person whose name she calls will trot up to the center. They'll stop when Caroline instructs them to, then they'll walk to the right side of her and Buttercup, forming a line on one side.

Once everyone is aware of what they're doing, Caroline trots Buttercup to the middle of the field. She halts the mare, then turns her around, so they're facing everyone.

"Brooke!" she calls out.

Brooke shortens her reins a tiny bit, so she'll have better control of Bo. She gives her horse a squeeze, and he starts walking. She gives him another squeeze, and he breaks into a slow trot. She and Bo trot until Caroline tells them to stop. Brooke pulls back on the reins, and Bo stops suddenly, causing her to come forward a smidgen. Jade gasps, but Brooke is unaffected, and she brings Bo next to Buttercup.

Caroline calls Dylan's name out next.

Dylan gives Lyla a squeeze, telling her to walk. The mare sucks in air, then exhales it slowly, before she starts moving. She plods along, ignoring the boy on top of her. Dylan squeezes with all of his might, but Lyla just continues to walk as slowly as possible. Caroline reminds Dylan that he may need to kick the mare. Dylan responds that he doesn't want to hurt her. However, he starts kicking when Caroline assures him that he won't hurt Lyla. Lyla flicks her tail in annoyance every time Dylan kicks her. She reaches Caroline and Buttercup, before Dylan even gets her to trot. Caroline tells Dylan that he can try again at the end as he lines up next to Brooke.

Nolan goes next.

Abush behind him rustles, making his horse's ears twitch nervously as he listens for danger. Wanting to distract the gelding from whatever is making him nervous, Nolan quickly gets Rocket into a trot, and the two trot until they're told to stop. He lines up next to Dylan.

Gabbi's name is called next.

She gathers her reins and puts her heels down. She gives Spooky a squeeze, making him walk forward. As soon they start to move, a flash and camera shutter go off, spooking the pony. Spooky bolts at full gallop. Gabbi clings onto the reins and the horn of her saddle for dear life.

"What the hell...?" Beck mutters in confusion, looking around for the source of the flash and camera shutter.

Jade takes off after her daughter, urging Siz into a gallop. Caroline, who saw everything, also takes off after Gabbi. She and Jade gallop towards the small girl, screaming various commands to both Gabbi and Spooky.

* * *

In her panic-induced state, it takes Gabbi a few seconds to think about slowing her pony down. It takes another few seconds for her to remember how to do that.

"WHOA!" she shouts, yanking back on her reins. Spooky slows to a lope, and eventually he slows to a choppy trot. Gabbi bounces up and down in her saddle due to the short strides that Spooky takes. She pulls back on her reins again, making the pony walk. She halts him, then breathes a sigh of relief.

Both Gabbi and Spooky are breathing heavily as they stand.

Seeing that Gabbi has her pony stopped, Caroline and Jade slow their horses down, so they won't collide into Spooky. They stop their horses in front of Gabbi.

* * *

"Get off that thing right now!" Jade orders, pointing at Gabbi and Spooky. She dismounts, drops Siz's reins, and marches over to Gabbi. She pulls her daughter off of the pony's back and hugs her tightly.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asks, dismounting her pony. She picks up Spooky's reins and pats the pony's neck. She coos softly to him, calming his nerves. Spooky hangs his head guiltily and looks at Gabbi and Jade.

Gabbi nods. "Yeah, I'm okay. After I stopped being scared, it was actually really fun. I kinda want to do it again, but when I know how to handle it," she tells Caroline.

Caroline gently pats the small girl on the back. "That was impressive! You have a lot of natural riding ability. I probably would've fallen off if I were you," she says to Gabbi.

"You will not be doing that again! You will not be getting near that animal again!" Jade informs her daughter, still hugging her tightly. Furious, she turns to her cousin. "What the hell was that, Caroline!? You said he wouldn't spook! He could've killed my child! If she had gotten hurt, it would've been all your fault!" she fumes.

An indignant look crosses Caroline face. "Okay, first of all, she didn't get hurt, and she said that it was fun after she got over being sacred. Second, I had know way of knowing that a camera would go off! And third, animals are unpredictable! You know that even the most calm horse can freak out if it gets frightened enough! You can't pin this all on me!" she fires back. She tries not to gesture with her arms around a lot, which is something that she does when she's upset, because she's hold her pony's reins and the reins of a pony that just spooked.

Jade shifts Gabbi, so she's holding the girl on her hip with one arm. She points at Caroline with the other arm that's holding her reins. Her eyes narrow into slits. "I cannot believe you! How could you be so irresponsible!? You promised me that Gabbi's pony would not spook! You are so lucky that she didn't get hurt by that rabid beast! So help me God, if one of my other kids gets injured, I will go all 'Monster Mama Bear' on your ass!" she exclaims angrily.

Caroline raises an eyebrow, her mouth hanging open in shock. "I didn't promise anything! I said that she _should_ be fine and that he's _practically_ bomb-proof! And you are the last person that should be calling people out on irresponsibility! You know what I'm talking about," she retorts. She feels incredibly guilty about the hint of satisfaction that came from saying the last two sentences. She regrets even letting the words come out of her mouth, but she cools down a lot more after letting them out. She apologizes to Jade and admits that she went too far with the last two things she said.

Then, the two continue with their argument.

* * *

As Jade and Caroline are arguing, Gabbi squirms out of her mother's arms and runs over to Spooky. "Mommy, quit it! Stop being so mean to Caroline and Spooky! It wasn't their fault! And Caroline, stop bringing up things from the past! My mommy hates it when people do that!" she exclaims at Caroline and Jade, who are too focused on their argument to hear her. Gabbi looks the pony in the eyes and apologizes on behalf of her mother and second cousin. She strokes his sweaty face.

As Gabbi pets Spooky's face, she feels something rub onto her hand. She takes her hand off of the pony's face.

The white stripe that marked Spooky's is now smeared and running down his nose in chalky streaks.

Gabbi looks at her hand. The residue of a white substance covers it. She runs a finger from her clean hand down the white area of Spooky's face. She looks at it and sees that the sad white residue is on her finger.

She politely tries to show Jade and Caroline, but they're too busy yelling at one another to notice her trying to get their attention. She gently tugs on the hem of her mother's shirt. Jade doesn't pay attention to Gabbi's tiny hand pulling on her top and continues berating Caroline.

"HEY!" Gabbi yells, finally getting Caroline and Jade's attention. She shows them her hands and Spooky's face. Caroline furrows her brow and turns to Spooky. She puts both ponies' reins in one hand. She uses her free hand to inspect the substance on Spooky's face. She rubs her fingers together, feeling the white residue on her hands.

"It's paint. This isn't Spooky. It's Batty!" she states. She turns to Jade. "HA! This isn't my fault!" she gloats triumphantly.

Glaring daggers at her cousin, Jade responds. "How could you not realize that this wasn't the right pony!?" she snaps. She crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer.

"Batty is one of the new horses. My parents are training her not to spook at everything. She and Spooky are nearly identical! The only major difference in their appearance is their facial markings. Spooky has a stripe that runs down his face. Batty just has a star on her forehead. Someone painted Spooky's markings onto Batty. This is a setup!" Caroline tells Jade.

"See? It's neither of your faults! Now say sorry to each other and start being nice again!" Gabbi says to Jade and Caroline.

Jade and Caroline sincerely apologize to each other. They hug and make up, before returning to rest of the group.

Jade does not let Gabbi get back on her pony. Instead, she lets Gabbi ride Siz, while she leads them. Caroline rides Buttercup and holds Batty's reins, leading her next to Buttercup.

* * *

When Gabbi, Jade, and Caroline come back, Beck is yelling at a man.

Jade asks what's going on.

"This punk thought it would be fun to switch ponies, disguise the dangerous one, let my child get on it, then scare it, so he could take photos to sell to the tabloids!" Beck explains angrily.

The man, who was the pony's handler in the riding ring, begs Beck and Jade not to call the police. He tries to run, but Caroline blocks his way with Buttercup. Jade phones the police.

* * *

After the police take the man away, the group heads back to the barn.

Back at the barn, Caroline shows the kids how to untack their mounts. She has stablehands assist the children with the removal of the heavy Western saddles, while she, Beck, and Jade take care of their own horses. She lets the kids groom their horses, then she teaches them one-by-one how to turn their horses out into their pastures.

The kids excitedly chatter about Gabbi's wild ride. They all really want to come back and learn how to ride. They beg their parents to sign them up for lessons.

With a bit of reluctance, Beck and Jade schedule their children's first riding lesson.

The family says goodbye to Caroline and thanks her for taking them on a trail ride, then they go home.


End file.
